


Pidgeunzel

by CircusTalia



Series: Pidgeunzel AU [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, M/M, Rapunzel AU, rapunzel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-10-20 15:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 64,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10665084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CircusTalia/pseuds/CircusTalia
Summary: The Witch Haggar takes away a baby girl from her family to raise the titular Pidgeunzel (but please, call her Pidge for short) as her ward. When Pidge grows up, she learns that she's not the only one living under Haggar's influence as there's a cowardly assistant working to repay a debt and a handsome prince looking to break a curse that was placed on him.





	1. Compensation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boy's love for his family is what has him take a risk that will have consequences on the whole family. Especially when said risk is stealing from one of the most powerful witches in the kingdom.

There once was a humble family known as the Holts who lived in an ordinary village. There was Samuel and Colleen who had a son named Matt and were expecting another baby soon. Matt was so excited to have a younger sibling that he started writing down all the things he was going to teach his little brother or sister. He even sorted out all the toys he was hoping to share with them. However, closer to Colleen's due date, Colleen grew weaker. When the family took her to a doctor, it was revealed that both her and the unborn baby were at risk. Colleen was given all sorts of medicine and constantly under the care of her loving husband, but nothing was working. Matt, afraid of losing his dearly beloved mother and sibling, left the village one night to search for some way to save them. 

He entered a forest that was known for harboring magical properties, including the garden of the frightful Witch Haggar. Matt shivered in fear as he journeyed deeper into the forest. All he had on him was a book about healing plants and a lantern to guide him through the darkness. Unfortunately, all the ones he had found within the forest could only cure fevers or other diseases that did not pertain to his mother. He shivered, tightening the hood he wore around his body. Then, by a stroke of luck, he stumbled upon an eerie looking home with a garden out front, surrounded by a surprisingly short picket fence.

"Wow," he whispered, holding his lantern in front of him to reveal all of the vegetation and fruit that was growing in the garden of the old house. Each patch of growing food was labeled and not a single one was out of place. He found a loose picket in the fence, moved it as he entered, and began searching for the right plant to feed his mother. It didn't take long for him to discover a vegetable called pidgeunzel. He looked in his book, and in its entry it was written that the pidgeunzel was one of the most powerful healing vegetables. It would ensure good, long health to anyone that consumed it and heal them of their physical ailments almost immediately. There was only one pidgeunzel in the patch. Matt read the passage again and discovered that pidgeunzels take years to harvest. He didn't know if there were any seeds of the same vegetable that were planted in the soil. Should he take it, it would be obvious that someone had entered the garden without permission. Matt gulped at the thought of getting discovered. Then he remembered the state his mother was in and feared the worst that would come to her and his unborn sibling. Matt looked around, making sure he wasn't spotted before cautiously grabbing the pidgeunzel and leaving the garden.

Unbeknownst to little Matt, however, was that the Witch Haggar was indeed home, watching the thief steal one of her prized vegetables from atop her room's window. It would have been easy for her to trap him in her garden, turning him into stone, but she believed a better punishment awaited him. She summoned an invisible eye to follow the boy, knowing that she'll find the compensation needed for her pidgeunzel.

Matt crushed the vegetable and put it in a soup, feeding it to his mother. After his mother ate the soup, she started feeling better and looking alive again. It wasn't long until Matt's darling little sister was born.

A couple of months had passed, and the family was happy. The Holts were in the living room, with Colleen in a rocking chair lulling her baby as Samuel and Matt worked together to design something special for her. 

"My little Katie," Colleen softly said, "look at how hard at work your father and brother are. Do you know what they want to build you?"

Samuel looked up from the table. "Katie," he lifted up the blueprint, "we're building this for you."

The blueprint was that of a small wagon that was supposed to look like a shooting star. Katie smiled innocently at her family, squirming her arms out. Samuel extended his arm to her and caressed her cheek.

"Mom, Dad, can I hold Katie?" Matt asked.

Samuel motioned for his son to sit in front of him as Colleen handed the baby to them. Katie was in her brother's arms and Samuel placed his arms underneath his son's to make sure Katie was safe. Matt poked Katie's nose and she laughed. He stuck out his pinkie finger and Katie grabbed a hold of it.

"I think she likes you," Samuel said. 

Matt smiled. "I hope so," he responded.

Katie let go of Matt's finger and reached for his glasses. His glasses fell, and everyone laughed. As Matt put his glasses back on, the moment was broken from a knock on the door. Colleen got up to answer it. When she opened the door, there was an old woman with long white hair coming out of the purple hood she wore over head. She lifted her head to reveal glowing, yellow eyes and blue skin. It was the Witch Haggar.

"I have come to claim what is rightfully mine," Witch Haggar announced, pushing away Colleen and letting herself in. 

Samuel lifted the baby from Matt and stood in front of his son.

"If you're here for our money, then take it. Leave my family alone!" Samuel bellowed.

"Oh, I'm not here for money," Witch Haggar explained. She pointed at Matt. "Your son is a thief. He stole one of my most prized vegetables from my garden."

"That's not true!"

Matt shifted his eyes from everyone before moving in front of his dad. 

"Matt?" Samuel asked in confusion.

Matt looked up at Witch Haggar.

"It's true. I did steal your vegetable," Matt confessed. "I only did it to save my mom and sister. But I will gladly accept any punishment you have in store for me. Just please leave my mom, dad, and sister alone." Matt bowed low for the witch. 

Witch Haggar kneeled in front of Matt and lifted his chin. 

"I'm afraid your punishment isn't going to work like that," Witch Haggar said. "I have the perfect punishment for you."

She let go of him and stood up again. Witch Haggar used her magic to freeze the adults in the room. As they were frozen, she grabbed the baby from Samuel. 

"What are you doing?!" Matt asked.

"Seeing as how you took something from me, I will take something from you." 

"Leave Katie out of this!"

"That's not your call to make," Witch Haggar gave a wicked grin. "Don't bother looking for us. I'll be using my magic to hide our whereabouts. Especially if it means protecting ourselves from thieves like you." 

With the baby in her arms, Witch Haggar floated out of the house and into the woods. Samuel and Colleen were unfrozen but broke down in tears after having lost their baby girl. Matt ran out of the house and screamed out Katie's name.

Although her parents had named her Katie, Witch Haggar renamed her after the vegetable that was stolen from her: Pidgeunzel.


	2. The Witch's Ward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidgeunzel (or Pidge) is raised to be the successor of Haggar, despite being a human with no real magic. Her caretaker might not always be around, but Pidge manages to find company in an unlikely familiar and a scaredy-cat assistant.

The Witch Haggar raised Pidgeunzel in the solitude of the old, creaky house. A spell was placed under the house so that only those with Witch Haggar's magic could find it. It helped Witch Haggar to keep Pidgeunzel in line as well as help Pidgeunzel with her training.

The Witch Haggar had been in need of a successor for some time now. Natural born magic users were growing scarcer every year, and the few that Witch Haggar managed to take under her control could never be as powerful as her. While Pidgeunzel was an ordinary human, Witch Haggar could still use her to create magical properties and thus there was hope that Pidgeunzel would grow up to be a worthy successor. For Pidgeunzel's babyhood, the girl was raised by spells. When Pidgeunzel was a toddler, Witch Haggar gave the girl items that had magical workings inside of them. Pidgeunzel was quick to make her own inventions, often in the form of toys with the occassional one with a destructive power, which pleased the witch. Pidgeunzel was then taught how to make potions and trained on how to read incantations that could be used by humans. Pidgeunzel's skills in working with and around magic grew almost as much as her hair.

Aside from the occassional trim, Pidgeunzel never had her hair cut, which led her to having extremely long hair. She didn't seem to mind, and actually took great pride in her hair. Pidgeunzel thought her long hair was the most beautiful and interesting thing about her. She was able to work around her hair and learned to use it for everyday activities or place it in spots that wouldn't get in the way. 

Although Pidgeunzel was able to prove her worth as a human who could work with magic, she was a lonely child. Witch Haggar, or Madame Haggar as Pidgeunzel was raised to call her, wasn't always around to be there for her. Pidgeunzel surrounded herself with her toys and pretended they were people. One day, she couldn't bear not having anyone to talk to, so she grabbed one of her toys, dripped a potion on it, and recited an incantation. The toy was a pyramid, whose design Pidgeunzel liked very much. After Pidgeunzel read the incantation, it began to float and glow blue and grew an eyeball in the center. She was proud of what she had done and showed Haggar. Haggar told Pidgeunzel that from now on, this toy of hers would serve as her familiar. Pidgeunzel named the familiar Rover, and that was her first real friend.

Pidgeunzel would spend her time playing with Rover, showing him all of her inventions and going into detail as to how they were made. Although Rover couldn't talk, he found a way to express himself by motioning his body and controlling his glow. He would sometimes help her when she was constructing something new, usually in the form of critiquing her work. Pidgeunzel was happy to have someone that could finally respond back to her.

 

When Pidgeunzel was a little older, she had been summoned by Madame Haggar outside. Rover hid inside her hair and the two of them went out. Pidgeunzel was surprised to see that her caretaker was not alone, a person being by her side.

The person was a large, chubby boy with short dark brown hair. He had an orange headband on his forehead and wore a simple yellow shirt with brown pants. Pidgeunzel cowered in fear and hid behind Haggar. 

"Madame Haggar," Pidgeunzel said meekly, "who is this?"

"Come forward, child," Haggar instructed. "This simpleton is not worth fearing."

Pidgeunzel let go of Haggar's robes and stood forward. 

"I will explain when we get to your new home," Haggar said.

"My new home?" 

"Come, both of you."

The three of them went out of the house, walking even deeper into the woods. The boy and Pidgeunzel kept their distance from one another, keeping an eye out for the other. Pidgeunzel had carried her hair in her arms, making it difficult for Rover to stay in place. After a while of walking in silence, they arrived at their destination. Before them was a tower. A tower whose only entry was a window. 

Haggar looked to the boy. "You stay here. You will follow us shortly." She held her hand out to Pidgeunzel. "Take my hand."

Pidgeunzel did so, and Haggar flew them to the top of the tower. Pidgeunzel still held on to her hair as best she could, with some strands leaving her. She let go once they were inside. Rover left her hair and found another spot to stay in. When they arrived, the inside of the tower looked exactly like Pidgeunzel's room with a couple of doors, but none leading to a staircase.

"Madame Haggar, permission to inquire as to what this is?" Pidgeunzel asked meekly.

"This is your new home," Haggar explained. "All of your things have been teleported here. I cannot risk anyone finding you. Not at this stage in your development." Haggar grabbed a piece of Pidgeunzel's hair. "Your hair will be the only way for one to get in and out of this tower. This tower is powered to grow at the same rate as your hair. Unless you can perform a teleportation spell or until I deem you ready, you, yourself, will not be able to leave."

"But Madame Haggar, how am I going to care for myself?"

Haggar smirked. "That's why I brought him. Aside from me, he is the only one who knows of this place. I have placed a mark on his forehead that allows him to find his way to the tower. When he calls for your hair, you are to unravel it and have him climb it." She looked out the window and nodded.

The boy cried out, "Pidgeunzel, Pidgeunzel, let down your long hair."

Pidgeunzel gathered her hair and threw it out the window. She could feel the boy grab her hair and his weight climbing up. Once he got up, he entered the room, where Pidgeunzel took a step back. Haggar pulled the hair back up and threw it on the floor.

Haggar extended her arm to the direction of the boy. "This boy is Hunk. Starting today, he will be working for us." She faced Hunk. "As my assistant, you will be in charge of keeping my possessions in order. And by extension, you are to care for my ward, Pidgeunzel, while I am away. That includes washing her hair, feeding her, and making sure she is performing her lessons. Should you fail, you will be punished. Is that understood?"

Hunk gulped. "Yes, Madame Haggar."

"Good. Pidgeunzel, I am in need of a new invention that can carry my energy balls. Get it done by the end of the week."

Haggar disappeared from the room. Pidgeunzel and Hunk cowered behind the nearest chairs. They poked their heads slightly above their respective furniture, waiting for the other to do something. 

"Um...y-you're not g-g-going to turn me into a frog, are you?" Hunk asked.

Pidgeunzel shook her head. "You're...not going to try and eat me, are you?"

Hunk snorted. "Eat you? Really? Look, I know I'm a big guy, but-"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, I heard that there were humans who eat each other and that they're usually found outside the forest's perimeter. Since I've never seen you within the forest from my own home, not this one, I mean the other one, I thought maybe you could be one of those cannibals. I mean, I know that not all humans are cannibals, there are all sorts of humans. But then I guess you could be another potentially dangerous human, like maybe you're a human who likes to bully smaller humans or....I'm sorry. I know I must be rambling."

The two slowly got out of their hiding spots. As they examined each other, they laughed. Hunk put an arm around the girl.

"Pidgeunzel, was it?" Hunk asked. "I actually thought it was a magic word when I first heard it. No offense."

"It's okay," she reassured. "Actually, I'd prefer it if you called me Pidge. I don't really like my name, so Pidge is easier for me to tolerate." 

"Alright, Pidge it is."

"Oh, there's someone else you need to meet!" She dragged Hunk by the arm as they ran across the room. They tiptoed over Pidge's plans and inventions that were lying on the floor. Rover hovered up, making his presence known. 

Hunk squealed and hid behind Pidge. "Ah! What is that thing?"

Pidge giggled as she hopped over to Rover. "This is my familiar, Rover."

"Aren't familiars supposed to be animals?"

"Yeah, I thought so, too. But Madame Haggar said that Rover was more than adequate to be my familiar. Besides, I brought him to life."

Rover hovered around Hunk, glowing brightly.

"He says hello," Pidge translated.

Hunk stretched his hand out and patted the pyramid on the head. "Um...hello."

The pyramid nuzzled itself on Hunk's palm before flying around.

"Aw, he likes you."

Hunk relaxed and smiled. Hunk and Rover spent the rest of their day helping Pidge build her newest invention. They gave her the necessary tools and Hunk was able to help out with fixing the bugs of the machine. All three of them would spend their days testing out inventions and keeping the tower tidy. 

* * *

One day, while Hunk was washing Pidge's hair, Pidge read an incantation from a book that caused a nearby plant to explode. Hunk jumped up, dumping water all over Pidge. Her pajamas and book were soaking wet. Hunk grabbed a towel and handed it to her.

"I am so sorry," Hunk apologized. "I just can't get over all the magic that surrounds this place."

"You don't like magic?" Pidge asked.

"Well, it's okay. But Madame Haggar has some scary magic and who knows what kind of magic she's been teaching you."

Pidge dried her face and rubbed her arms. She set aside her book on the nearest stand.

"If it helps, I wasn't born with magic," Pidge held up the dripping book. "I can only use magic if I chant what's written in here or make potions." 

Hunk sighed out of relief and refilled the bucket. He went back behind her and continued rubbing her hair with soap.

"Hey, Hunk, can I ask you something?" 

"What is it?"

"If you're so afraid of magic, how come you're working for my caretaker?"

Hunk stopped rubbing her hair. He squeezed the water out of it. 

"It's kind of a long story."

Pidge sat up with her legs crossed. 

"I'm listening."

Hunk grabbed a shampoo bottle and rubbed his hands together before rubbing her head.

"I traveled to this farming community for a job to fix one of their tractors. When I got there, I met this girl named Shay. She gave me company while I worked, sometimes bringing me a refreshment. I guess you could say we got along really fast. After I had fixed her family's tractor, I found every excuse I could to see her. Sometimes it was to purchase freshly grown fruits and vegetables, other times it was because there was a leak that she wanted me to check. Every time we met, she always had something she wanted to talk about and she would listen to whatever it was that I had in my mind."

"Aw," Pidge cooed. "That's so sweet."

"Yeah, she is," Hunk rinsed the shampoo off Pidge's hair. "But, the more I came over, the more I noticed that their crops weren't doing so well. Shay's brother became more and more agitated with each visit before Shay told me that their family's farm was dying. It was a farm that they had taken care of for generations. They had no idea what they were gonna do or where they could go. I had to do something." Hunk grabbed a conditioner bottle and bundled up Pidge's hair. "By chance, I came across Witch, I mean, Madame Haggar. I begged for her help, promising to pay her. She agreed to help and gave me a bag of soil that glittered in the light of the moon. Shay and I covered the fields with this soil and the next morning, the fields were filled with an abundant supply of crops. They tasted so good and never went bad." Hunk poured water over the hair. "But then I had to pay Madame Haggar back. Madame Haggar told me that I could work off my debt by working for her and so here I am today."

Pidge stared out and Rover came nestling on her lap. 

"Do you get to see Shay?" Pidge asked.

"Not as much as I'd like. It's hard when I have to keep Madame Haggar happy."

"What does Shay look like?"

"She has this amazing hair in a cute cut. Her eyes are just so expressive and she's just so beautiful," Hunk described. He grabbed a towel and dried off the hair. "I could go on about how wonderful she is, but then we'd be here all day. Enough about my life, what about yours?"

"What about mine?" Pidge looked up. 

"I mean, you said earlier that you were human. And yet, you're living with the most powerful witch alive. How is that?"

Pidge spread her legs out. "Madame Haggar adopted me. I was told that my family stole one of her most prized vegetables. When she seeked justice, they offered me as a form of payment. Instead of making me her servant, she decided to name me her successor. As far as I know, I'm the closest thing she has to a child."

"Do you miss your family?"

Pidge closed her eyes. "Sometimes. I don't know what they look like, so it's nice to imagine all the possibilities of their appearances. But then I remember that they gave me up for their crimes. At least you went to my caretaker for the person you love. It must be nice to have someone that's willing to make sacrifices for you."

Hunk let go of the towel and her hair. He went around and kneeled down in front of her.

"Hey, I may not know a whole lot about you or Madame Haggar. But I do know that you're worth more than your selling yourself for. Kinda like a cream-filled donut. You already look good on the outside, but you're a lot better on the inside."

Pidge smiled. She wrapped her arms around Hunk.

"Thank you, Hunk. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me." 

Hunk returned the hug, squeezing her until she tapped his shoulder. Once he let go, he got back up and started searching for a brush.

"So, what do you want to know about me?" Pidge asked.

"Well," Hunk said as he rummaged through her drawers, "earlier you said you can only use magic if you recited from a book. Does this mean," before he could finish his sentence, Hunk pulled out what looked like a funny-looking device until he pulled it out to reveal an arm. "AH!" He threw the arm on a pile of clothes. "What is that thing?!"

Pidge got up and spun the arm around. "This? Oh, it's just something I've been working on." She waved the arm. "I thought it would be fun to try and replicate a person. Sort of like Frankenstein's monster, except without the actual body parts. This is just a prototype of what the arm would be like."

"That's...creepy....," Hunk said before separating the fingers attached to the hand. "But it's also kind of cool." He raised his hand up and Pidge gave him a high-five with the arm.

 

Pidge and Hunk would grow closer to one another and it didn't take long for them to form a close, familial relationship. Hunk would tell Pidge about the outside world and Pidge would let him test out a few of her inventions. They tried not to show their affections when Haggar came for a visit, especially if it meant she would get the wrong idea about the two of them. When Haggar came, they acted as professional around one another as possible. When she was gone, they returned to their fun and personal venting.

On a particular visit, Pidge had demonstrated a new potion she had mastered making. However, Haggar did not pay her any mind as she saw the fake arm that was never properly put away. Haggar walked past Pidge to pick up the arm.

"Madame Haggar?" Pidge asked.

"Child, what is this?" Haggar inspected the arm.

"It's nothing special, ma'am," Pidge answered, holding her hands behind her back and bowing her head. 

Haggar furrowed her eyebrows until she controlled the arm with her magic. She made the arm bend, clench and unclench its fist, and type. 

"I believe your special nothing might have a purpose after all," Haggar said. She levitated the arm to Pidge. "Is this the final version?"

"No."

"Then you'll have time to build me a better one. I want you to build an arm that can withstand all of my magic. I need it to be as indestructible as possible. Your lessons will be postponed until that arm is complete. As such, I expect that time to be soon." 

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She faced Hunk. "Make sure she focuses her time on that arm. I don't care if she has to use your arm for reference. But she is not to be distracted."

"Understood," Hunk replied. 

Haggar disappeared from the tower and Pidge was sent to work. Hunk helped with testing the arm's strength, while Pidge worked on the technicals and piecing it together. In a month, the arm was ready. Haggar tested the arm, pleased that it was even capable of shapeshifting. She took the arm, never revealing to either Pidge or Hunk what the purpose that arm was for.


	3. A Prince on a Quest

Outside of the forest was the kingdom of Garrison, which was wide and filled with a diversity of life. Overlooking it all was a castle where the monarchy lived. In the center of the castle was a garden where the young prince was meditating. He was known for his white fringe, the scar across his face, and, most outstanding of all, his prosthetic arm. This was Prince Takashi Shirogane, or Prince Shiro as he liked to be called. He sat under a tree with his legs crossed as he took slow, deep breaths. Prince Shiro had his eyes closed as he was in a peaceful state of mind. The only sounds were the running water from the stream and the squeaking of mice who watched him. During this meditation, two young men came crashing in the garden, calling out to him.

"Prince Shiro!" the men yelled. 

Prince Shiro, despite being a bit peeved at the interruption, calmly responded back, opening one of his eyes.

"Yes?" 

He could see that it was his most trusted men: Lance, the Captain of the Guard, and Keith, the prince's personal guard. Lance wore a special blue uniform that showcased his achievements with medals while Keith wore a tight, red battle suit with a mask that he currently wasn't wearing. The differences between the two were as clear as day. 

"Prince Shiro, we're sorry to disturb you, but Lady Allura requests your presence," Keith said.

Prince Shiro opened his other eye. "May I ask what's going on?"

Before Keith could answer, Lance spoke out loud.

"You bet it is! It looks like the princess has found a clue to breaking that curse of yours," Lance answered in excitement. 

Shiro got up and walked out of the garden with his men by his side. 

During the walk, Keith whispered over to Lance, "Why do you keep calling her princess? Her kingdom doesn't exist anymore."

Lance gasped. "Well, excuse me for trying to treat her with respect."

"I never said not to respect her."

"Sure sounded like it."

"Did not."

"Did, too."

"That's enough, you two," Prince Shiro said. The three of them reached the end of a corridor where a giant door was in place. Luckily, the giant door had a smaller door that they could enter through. 

When they got inside, an illuminating map of the world filled the room, with a round table in the center. Seated at the table was a lady with long hair that went past her waist. Despite having white hair, she looked quite young with her dark, smooth skin. She wore a long white and blue dress with pink borders at the bottom of her skirt. This was the Lady Allura. Behind her was a funny looking man with short, orange hair and mustache. He wore a simple white and blue uniform. He was Sir Coran. The most notable traits between the two were their pointed ears. 

Allura smiled as the three entered. 

"Shiro, I'm glad you could make it," she said. "Thank you, Lance and Keith, for bringing him over."

"Not a problem at all, your highness," Lance said as he pushed his hair back. Keith looked at him unamused. 

"I hope I didn't disturb you doing something important," the woman said. 

"Not at all, Allura," Shiro responded. "But, what is this about finding a clue to break my curse?"

"Oh, right," Allura motioned her arm upward as an illusion appeared in the center of the room. It was a dark, purple symbol. "As you know, Haggar placed a powerful spell that prevents me from directly finding her. However, I did manage to detect traces of her magic at an area just beyond the forest." Another image appeared on the screen. It was a light pink flower with golden tips. 

"This right here was a former native plant in Altea," Coran explained. "It was the go-to ingredient for whipping up a potion that could cure one from a curse instantly."

"And would this flower be all we need?" Prince Shiro asked.

Allura shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But it is a central ingredient and if we can find this one, then the rest of the ingredients will be a lot easier."

"So, what are the other ingredients?" Keith asked with his arms crossed.

Allura pulled up more images. "The other ingredients can be found within the forest. And as they're common plant life in the forest, we don't have to worry about Haggar keeping them for herself. The flower should be on a mountain behind the forest." A geological map was pulled up to reveal the forest and a mountainside. 

"You might want to be careful," Coran warned. "If Witch Haggar has been there, then there's no doubt that retrieving the flower will be difficult. She could have put an enchantment around it or worse."

"Perhaps I should go with you," Allura recommended. 

"Absolutely not, Princess," Coran told her. "It's too dangerous for you to go out there. If Witch Haggar seees you, who knows what she'll do to you. Besides, you're better suited for running things here while the Prince is away."

"I'm afraid Coran's right, Allura," Shiro said. "I'm going to be needing someone to watch over the kingdom while I'm away. And since you've had experience with ruling, there's no one else I'd entrust my kingdom with."

Allura pouted and sighed. "Oh, very well. At least let me brew a few potions for your journey."

 

At the gates, Prince Shiro, Lance, and Keith prepared their things for the journey ahead of them. Lance readied the horses while Keith packed the supplies. They did not know how long their journey would be, but they figured that it wouldn't take more than a day to complete it. Shiro sat down on a nearby rock, examining his arm. Keith noticed this and went over to him.

"Are you okay, your highness?" Keith asked.

Prince Shiro looked up at him. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Thank you." 

Keith and Lance glanced at each other, concern in their eyes. 

"You must be pretty excited to break this curse," Lance said, trying to lighten up the mood.

Prince Shiro smiled. "It is exciting. And a relief." Prince Shiro folded his hands together. "Although, it would be nice if Witch Haggar put me to sleep like she did to Allura and Coran."

"For 10,000 years?" Lance asked. "You know I'm not one to be against beauty sleep, but I would never want to miss out on all the exciting things life has for me. Besides, I think it would be sad to leave behind the people you care about."

"Fair point," Prince Shiro admitted. "If I were out, I don't think there'd be anyone to keep you and Keith in check."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want Lance throwing Garrison into war because he couldn't stop flirting with a princess," Keith chimed in.

"Oh yeah? Well, Keith would probably go rogue if someone made fun of his dumb mullet!" Lance shouted. 

They all laughed. Allura came to the gates carrying a tray of bottles. 

"Here are some healing potions for your journey," Allura said. "They should be able to help you in case you run into trouble."

"Thank you, Lady Allura," Keith said as he took the bottles and put them inside a bag. 

"Be careful, you three," Allura said. "Especially you, Shiro."

"We will be," Shiro assured. "I have the two best fighters in the kingdom to help me in case something goes wrong."

The men boarded their horses. Keith lifted his mask to cover the bottom half of his face and Lance adjusted the sword tied to his waist. Prince Shiro looked out at the gate that was opening. Without wasting another second, the trio exited the castle and went out to search for the flower.

* * *

 

The three men had searched the mountaintop for hours. They inspected every hole and patch of grass, but could not find the flower. Keith unfolded a paper that had an illustration of the flower, but nothing on the mountain looked like it.

"Give me that!" Lance said as he swiped the paper out of Keith's hands. "Hm....maybe the flower is closer to the terrain. It might be bordered along the forest."

"No way," Keith retorted. "Lady Allura said that the flower was on the mountain. We even saw its symbol on higher ground."

"But consider this: if this was an Altean plant, wouldn't Haggar want it closer to her residence?"

"Lance is right," Prince Shiro said. "For all we know, Haggar could have placed a spell on the flower to have it switch places, so it's possible that it might be closer downward."

Lance stuck his tongue out at Keith before smirking. Keith glared at him. 

"I don't know, Prince Shiro," Keith said. "It could be dangerous to get closer to the forest. We were lucky to even find a path that could lead us to this mountain without going through there."

"We have to try," Prince Shiro replied. "Besides, being on this mountaintop for this long is starting to give me a headache."

"I suppose we could just stay within the border. Alright, we'll go down. And your highness, I ask that you take some time to rest. Let Lance and I search for the flower when we get down there."

"Alright."

The men hopped on their horses again and as they trotted down the mountain, Shiro looked back. The weather wasn't snowing nor as cold as it had been on that day. And yet, he could feel his body shivering just from remembering what had happened at another mountain. He faced forward, one hand on the rein of the horse, the other glowing and ready to attack.

 

Prince Shiro was seated on the grass, leaning his back against the torso of his horse who had also taken a rest. Keith and Lance searched near the prince, unable to find a hint that the flower had been there. They went back to their prince.

"How's your headache?" Keith asked.

"Better," Prince Shiro answered. "I'm judging by the lack of enthusiasm on your faces that you haven't found it."

Both shook their head.

"You know, you might want to actually look around the border instead of staying close to me."

"Your highness, we can't leave you by yourself," Lance said. "One of us should search for the flower and the other stay here. As Captain of the Guard, I should go around while Keith stays."

"You alright with that, Keith?" Prince Shiro asked.

"Fine by me. It is my job," Keith responded.

Lance guided his horse as they left the prince and Keith to themselves. Keith crouched closer to the border of the forest and mountain, scanning the area. He gripped the handle of his blade, ready to strike in case something were to come out. 

"Keith, take it easy," Prince Shiro instructed. "I know you're my personal guard, but you deserve a bit of a break."

"With all due respect your highness, I'm afraid I can't," Keith said without looking back. "If something were to attack, I'd rather be the one doing the fighting."

"You know I can defend myself, right?"

"I know. It's just....I don't want us to have to resort to your fighting ability. Not when...," Keith struggled to find a way to finish that sentence. Prince Shiro noticed Keith's hand on the handle getting tighter. 

"Because of the curse, right?"

"Yeah...."

Prince Shiro got up and crouched next to Keith. 

"I suppose I can't blame you. Everyone seems to be afraid of me nowadays."

"You're a prince. Isn't that expected?"

"Sort of. I'm more used to intimidating others than being the source of anyone's nightmares. The sooner we find this flower, the sooner my people will feel more at ease with me."

Keith turned to his prince.

"We will find it."

Prince Shiro nodded. 

"Take off that mask," Prince Shiro ordered. "No one else is here, so you might as well take in the fresh air."

Keith did as he was told and took a deep breath. The air felt cool and soft. It brought a smile to his face. Just then, they heard the trotting of a horse. They looked to see Lance rushing to their direction. Lance made a stop once he got to them, holding a bag that had a pink flower with golden tips. 

"I found the flower!" Lance exclaimed. 

"Way to go, Lance!" Prince Shiro congratulated. "Now we can go back home."

Right after he had said that, a bush from the forest was rattling. Keith and Lance readied themselves.

"I order you to show yourself!" Lance barked.

What emerged from the bush was a large, reptilian monster that gave a low growl to the men. It had tusks coming out of its jaw and horns on its head and ones emerging from its hind legs. Keith pulled his blade out. 

"Lance, take the Prince out of here!" 

Lance went to Prince Shiro and helped him board his horse. Prince Shiro's own horse followed the two as they escaped. Keith swung his blade at the creature, getting hit in the process. He stood his ground despite the creature headbutting him a number of times. Keith pulled out small, round balls from his pocket and threw them to the ground. A puff of smoke blocked the creature's eyesight, giving Keith enough time to saddle on his horse and flee. 

Keith caught up with Lance and the prince. The prince had his arms around Lance, his right arm growing brightly.

"Lance, how's the prince? Has he made any sudden moves?"

"Prince Shiro is fine. For now. I think we need to find somewhere to cool his head, though."

Keith took in his surroundings. The path that they had taken to get there was too far from where they were and they needed to get their prince to a relaxing place. He spotted a stream flowing down. It went into the forest. As dangerous as it would be, as much as he didn't want to, Keith took the lead.

"Keith?"

"We have to follow the stream. It'll no doubt lead to a meadow."

"But it goes-"

"I know where it goes! But it's the fastest way to get Prince Shiro somewhere peaceful."

And so, with great reluctance, they entered the forest. 


	4. The Mysterious Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince Shiro and his men get lost in the forest, but soon find that there's a tower with only a single window.

Keith's theory proved to be true. The stream had led them to a meadow, one that was uncharacteristically green and filled with soft plants. Prince Shiro spent some time to meditate, keeping his mind at peace. Keith drank one of the healing potions for his injuries and was healed up rather quickly. Once everyone was well-rested and relaxed, they set off on their horses to find a way out. 

Hours had passed, but they did not see a way out of the forest anywhere. They tried to see if there were any birds that might have had the intention of migrating out of the forest, but no such luck. There were all sorts of eerie looking creatures surrounding them. Bugs that had eyes on their wings, slugs that left behind a trail of oozing green goo, and trees and rocks that seemed to move around which made it more difficult for the three to know where they were.

"I hate to say this, but it looks like we're lost," Prince Shiro pointed out.

Lance trotted next to the prince.

"Your highness, I just want to say.....this is all Keith's fault."

"My fault?!" Keith questioned as he hurried to their side.

"See, he even admitted it."

"If we hadn't gone to the border, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Keith hissed.

"Oh yeah, well you had the bright idea of going into the forest in the first place."

"It was the only way to keep the prince in check."

"And I suppose if we hadn't gone to the border, then we would have found the flower regardless?"

"Relax, you two," Prince Shiro said. "We'll find a way out of here. I promise."

Keith and Lance didn't glare at each other for long when they heard footsteps nearby. The men stopped in their tracks. 

"Oh, great, is that another one of those things?" Lance whispered.

Keith got off of his horse to investigate the source of the sound. He crawled to a nearby tree, putting his mask on, and peeked out. He faced the others.

"Guys, you won't believe this, but it looks like another human," Keith informed. 

Lance and Prince Shiro got off of their horses and hid behind the tree as well. Indeed, another human was in the forest. A large boy with an orange headband, carrying a basket. 

"Do you think he's lost?" Lance asked.

"It actually looks like he knows where he's going," Keith pointed out.

"We should follow him," Prince Shiro suggested. "He might lead us out of here."

The boys went back for their horses and pulled them along to follow the other human. They remained as inconspicuous as possible, not saying a word until the stranger would arrive at his destination. As they followed the stranger, they noticed a path opening up before him. It was almost as if the stranger was the one being led. Finally, they found out where he was headed.

Somewhere in the forest there was a clearing. Or, it would have been a clearing were it not for a tall, stoned tower in the center. The boys remained hidden as the stranger approached the tower.

"How is he going to get in there? There's no door or ladder," Lance noticed.

He would be answered when the stranger spoke aloud.

"Pidge, let down your hair!" the stranger called. 

There was no response. The trio looked at one another in confusion.

"Aw, c'mon, Pidge. I know you're upset, but please let me climb your long hair."

There was no response. The men were starting to think that this stranger was perhaps crazy. That is, until the stranger spoke once more.

"I brought peanut butter cookies," the stranger said as he held up the basket.

Not a moment too soon was something thrown out the window. It wasn't rope. It wasn't a ladder. It was long strands of light brown hair. The stranger gripped the hair as he climbed to the top of the tower. 

The trio emerged out of their hiding spots. They watched as the stranger climbed to the top window and slipped right in. The hair was still there. Prince Shiro tugged the hair.

"I wonder what's up there." 

* * *

Pidge bit the cookie, chewing while she hugged a pillow. Hunk tried to cheer her up, but she remained sad.

"You wanna talk about it?" Hunk asked. 

Pidge sighed. "I don't get it, Hunk. Madame Haggar is usually pleased with the work I give her. The work she requests. But, this last one didn't seem to do anything for her."

Rover nestled on Pidge's head. 

"Maybe she was just having a bad day," Hunk suggested.

"I don't know. If she were, she wouldn't have enchanted my hair to grow even longer."

"Uh, speaking of which, don't you think you should be pulling it up by now?"

"Don't want to. If I can't go down, I'd like my hair to feel the ground for me."

Hunk placed a hand on Pidge's shoulder.

"Hey, don't beat yourself over this. Tell you what, why don't we both work on something that'll really wow her. She's usually looking for inventions that have a high energy source. Maybe we could build her a canon!"

Pidge was about to speak out against the idea, until she pondered it for a bit.

"Well, she might actually want that. We are high above ground to test it out. Hunk, you're a genius!"

"There's that smile. Now, who wants another cookie?" 

Hunk picked up the basket. Pidge was about to grab one, but then felt something tugging at her hair. It went away, but not for long as there was more weight to the tug. Pidge found herself getting dragged away towards the window. Hunk grabbed a hold of her. 

"Ow, ow, ow," Pidge uttered. "What's grabbing me?"

"I don't know," Hunk admitted. "Hang on," Hunk could feel the added weight that was clinging to Pidge. He lifted her up and pulled her away. He grabbed some of her hair and reeled in whatever was attached to it. Before they knew it, they heard three figures scream as they leaped in through the window. 

Everyone was knocked to the ground. As they all recovered, Pidge could see the ones before her. A lanky man covered in metal, an emo looking ninja, and an older man that looked surprisingly good for his age. Pidge cowered to the edge of the wall. 

"Stay behind me, Pidge," Hunk got up, his arms raised as a way to block the strangers from her. "Who are you and how did you get here?"

Lance pulled out his sword. "Who are we? We should be asking you that. By order of the Captain of the Guard, tell us where we are and why you're here."

Prince Shiro saw the small girl in a light purple dress rise and cling to the large boy's shirt. He raised his hand.

"At ease, Captain," Prince Shiro ordered. "They don't look like a threat to us." He walked ahead. "We apologize for breaking and entering into your abode. We were only looking for a way out of the forest."

"Then, how did you find us?" Pidge asked. 

"Well, we followed your friend over here," Prince Shiro pointed to Hunk.

"What?! Agh, my mistress is going to kill me," Hunk complained. 

"Your mistress?" Keith questioned.

Hunk was about to reveal his mistress' name, but held his tongue. Instead, he responded with, "It doesn't matter. She won't be happy to find strangers here."

"Is this her home?" Prince Shiro asked.

"No, but it is hers," Hunk stepped aside to introduce Pidge.

"And who are you supposed to be? Her handmaiden?" Lance asked mockingly.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I am the best handmaiden around. Unlike you," Hunk tapped Lance's chest.

"Who are you calling a handmaiden? If anyone's the handmaiden, it's that guy," Lance pointed to Keith.

"I am not a servant!" Keith clarified.

Pidge chuckled at the banter going on. She caught on that these men would be of no danger to her, Hunk, or Rover. If anything, it looked as though the blue and red one would destroy each other before laying a finger on her. She stared at the man with the white fringe. He seemed to be the more level-headed one of the group, having not once raised his voice. 

Prince Shiro got in between Keith and Lance.

"Please, let's start over," he suggested. "I am Prince Shiro. This one, here, is my Captain of the Guard, Lance. The one here is my personal bodyguard, Keith."

"You're a prince?" Pidge asked. "Hunk, you never told me there was a prince."

"I never thought I'd meet one," Hunk argued. "I mean, I've heard of his name, but the mistress has me working so much that I don't know much about him."

Prince Shiro smiled. "Well, now you get to meet one. And may I ask what your name is?"

"Pidgeunzel, but please, call me Pidge for short," she answered.

Prince Shiro held his arm out. "It's nice to meet you, Pidge."

Pidge thought his arm looked familiar. When she reached for it, he shook her hand. She didn't let go. She raised his hand closer to her face and examined it closely.

"Hey, quit staring at his arm!" Keith barked.

"It's okay, Keith," Prince Shiro said. "She's probably not used to seeing someone with a prosthetic arm."

"This is my arm," Pidge realized. It had been three years since she had made it, but there was no doubt that it was the very same one she handed to Madame Haggar. "Does it change shape?"

Prince Shiro moved his hand away from her to have it glow. When it did, it turned into a blade. 

"What do you mean by this is your arm?" Prince Shiro asked.

"I made it," she revealed. "It was for my mistress. How did you get a hold of it?"

Prince Shiro, unprepared to tell her his story, only told her the bare minimum he felt was needed to satisfy her curiosity.

"I can't really say. I had woken up with this on me."

"Oh, how sad. It looks like you need it more than my caretaker, so I guess I can't really be upset with you having it."

"Thank you, Pidge. It really does look amazing," he patted her head.

Pidge blushed and smiled back at him. Rover hovered from the ground to Pidge's shoulder. 

"Oh, and who is this little guy?" 

"This is my familiar, Rover. Oh, and the guy with the headband is Hunk." Hunk gave a small wave. Pidge looked out the window. "Where's your kingdom? All I can see from up here are the trees in the forest."

Shiro pointed outward. "My kingdom is beyond the forest. I don't mean to brag, but it is pretty big. I could show you, if you'd like."

Pidge's eyes lit up as she clasped her hands before being drawn down. "I can't. I...can't leave this place."

"Why is that?"

Before Pidge could answer, Hunk stepped in.

"Okay, that's enough questions for one day. Look, I'll escort you three out of the forest, but you can't tell anyone what you saw. If our mistress knew we let in strangers to the tower, we could get in some serious trouble."

"Very well. C'mon, guys. We should get going."

Pidge grabbed Prince Shiro's hand. "Wait," she said. "Will you be coming back to the forest?"

Lance answered her back. "Hopefully not. This forest is creepy."

"I agree," Keith added. 

Pidge gave a defeated look. She threw her hair out the window. Hunk was the first to climb down, followed by Lance, then Keith. Prince Shiro was the last one to go down. As he steadied himself, he peeked out the window and gave her a smile. 

"Don't mind my men," he told her. "If it helps, I'd really like to see you again, too."

Pidge looked at him and smiled. He held tightly on to her hair as he trudged to the ground. She looked down and saw that Hunk and the other two were on the ground. When Prince Shiro touched the ground, he looked back up at her and waved. She waved back at him before retreating into her room, pulling her hair up so as to not attract anyone else up to her.

* * *

 

Hunk escorted the prince and his men to the edge of the forest. There was an opening that would lead them to a some nearby towns and roads. If they took a specific road, it wouldn't take them long to get back to the castle.

"Alright, let's get back to the castle and give the princess this flower!" Lance pulled the bag with the flower inside out. Hunk took a quick look at it, but felt something off with the plant inside. He didn't voice his concern, however, as it would have undoubtedly caused trouble for him. 

"Thank you for leading us out," Prince Shiro told Hunk. "I can't give you anything right now, but I'd like to send you payment for your services. Where do you live?"

Hunk shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he looked out at the field and town. "Just....remember our promise to not tell anyone about the tower. And, more importantly," he faced the prince, "don't tell anyone about the girl."

Prince Shiro nodded. "You have my word." He gripped the reins on his horse. "Captain, Keith, let's go."

The three trotted off in the direction of the roads. Hunk leaned against a tree. For their safety, it was best that the prince and his men had left. But, he sort of hoped that they would return to the forest. It would be worth them coming back if it meant Pidge could interact with people. He took one last look at the town before heading in the direction of Madame Haggar's house. He could feel the mark on his forehead summoning him to her and she wasn't the patient type.


	5. False and New Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the flower found, Prince Shiro and his men return to the forest to retrieve the rest of the ingredients for the curse-breaking brew. However, the prince has other reasons for returning to the forest.

When the prince and his men returned to the castle, they were greeted by Allura and Coran at the gates. The two rushed up to greet them.

"You're back!" Allura exclaimed. "I thought you would have been back hours ago."

"We got lost, no thanks to Keith," Lance told her.

"Are you really going to keep blaming me for that?"

"Yes, I am."

"And how did you find your way back?" Allura asked.

Prince Shiro got off his horse. "Let's just say that we had someone help us with directions." 

"Were you able to find the flower?" Coran asked. 

Lance smirked. "Did we ever?!" He pulled it out. "Thanks to me, we're one step closer to breaking Prince Shiro's curse!"

Prince Shiro smiled at Lance. "That we are."

Lance handed the bag to Coran.

"Certainly looks like the flower," Coran said as he inspected the flower. "I'll just go ahead and store this. Oh, Keith, Lance, I may need your help with moving some things in the storage room."

"Why don't you ask one of the servants to help?" Keith asked.

"Technically, he already has," Lance said. 

Before Keith could say anything, Coran continued. "I'm going to need a couple of strong, strapping boys to lift some of the crates. And since these crates contain priceless Altean artifacts and spell books, I can't risk asking just anybody. I don't know enough about the castle's servants to trust them. No offence, Prince Shiro."

"None taken," Prince Shiro replied. He faced Keith and Lance. "You two go ahead. When you're done helping Coran, you can take the rest of the day off. I doubt I'll be leaving the castle any time soon and I'll handle the Guard."

Keith and Lance hopped off their horses and followed Coran. But before they went inside, Prince Shiro stopped Lance for a moment. 

"Oh, Lance," he said. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course, your highness," Lance replied. Keith looked back and furrowed his brows. He continued following Coran. Lance stood before the prince. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say that as soon as my curse is broken, I'd like to help you relocate your family closer to the castle." 

"Oh, that. Your highness, I've talked with my family and I don't think we can afford-"

"Don't worry about payment. As a reward for helping me, I'll reserve a pot of land for your family to live on. I know about your reservations about moving them now, so just look forward to it when I'm back to my normal self."

Lance's eyes grew glossy, but he blinked to hold it in. He smiled and bowed. "Thank you, your highness." Lance turned to the castle and ran to catch up with Keith and Coran. 

Allura looked on with a worried expression. She folded her hands together and hung her head low.

"What's wrong?" Prince Shiro asked.

"You know, even after we break your curse, we still need to do something about Witch Haggar," Allura unfolded her hands. "I fear that she's preparing for something big. Something that no one in Garrison can even imagine."

"And I'll be there to stop her. She may have cursed me once, but I'm not about to give up on my people."

"I'm glad to hear that. Even if Altea couldn't escape her power, I have faith that Garrison will survive with a prince like you."

"Thank you, Allura. But it won't be just me. You, Coran, Keith, Lance, and anyone that's willing to stand by our side will work together to stop her."

"Just promise me that you'll let me throw in a punch to her."

"You have my word." 

As the two walked inside, the prince thought about the girl in the tower. He had never met anyone with their hair as long as hers. And that hair was rather durable to stand the weight of him and three other grown men. And she had a rather cute name, too. Pidge. He wanted to see her again. Just as she was curious about his arm, or her arm as she noted, he was curious to see more of her inventions. He didn't know how Witch Haggar got a hold of something Pidge created, but considering that Pidge's caretaker held her in a tower, it wouldn't surprise him if the two were in cahoots. Prince Shiro knew he had to go back and see her. 

When he and Allura entered the throne room, he asked her about the other ingredients for the spell.

"Oh, right," Allura levitated a nearby paper and pen. "Let me write them down for you." She used her magic to write out the rest of the ingredients. After each word was written, a blot of ink was spit out to form into a picture of what the ingredient looked like. When she was done, she passed the list to him. "As I said before, the other ingredients are found in the forest. You may not want to go out again. If you'd like, I can ask Lance to-"

"It won't be any trouble at all," Prince Shiro said. "I will admit, I should stay here a few days before returning to that area."

 

A few days later, Prince Shiro ordered for his things to be ready. Keith leaned against a wall as the prince went over what needed to be taken care of. He didn't intend on being gone for more than a day. This time around, he planned out a course that would take him to and from the forest in a manner of two hours. Two and a half tops. Lance entered the room with a much more loose attire this time around. He wore a blue tunic and grey pants with boots. 

"What happened to your armor?" Keith asked. 

"My armor and medals needed to be polished," Lance answered. "So I figured I'd just wear something more relaxed. Besides, I don't need armor to show off this lovely piece of work," Lance gestured to his body. 

Keith rolled his eyes. The two of them faced their attention to the prince, who was placing a notepad in his bag. They shared a concerned look.

"Uh, Prince Shiro, are you sure it's a good idea to go to the forest?" Lance asked. "Keith and I can go for you."

"No, I have to go," Prince Shiro said. "I'd like to feel like I'm doing my part in breaking my own curse. Besides, we won't be in the forest long. And if what Allura said is true, we may not have to make a lot of trips."

"If you say so," Lance walked away to pick up a crossbow and some arrows. Prince Shiro left the room for a bit to retrieve something else, and as he left, Lance confided in Keith. "I don't think this is such a good idea. Who knows what'll happen."

"I know," Keith admitted. "I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't budge. He insisted on going. And, as he is the prince, there's not much I can do about it except keep my guard up for him."

"If you really wanted to keep your guard up, you should have stayed with the Guard."

"Not now, Lance. Let's just focus on the mission."

"I'm just saying. Being a member of the Guard is way more respectable than being some over-glorified personal servant."

Keith held his tongue as he let Lance pass by. He didn't feel like arguing, not when they would be heading out soon. The three quickly went out of the gates and took the fastest path to the forest.

* * *

Pidge was in the process of building the canon for Haggar. She didn't tell her caretaker that she had been working on this in the hope of the canon being a wonderful surprise. Pidge created a few basic base models, if only to see which one would be the best. She decided to test the smaller canon first as it was the lightest. Rover hovered out of the window and went towards the grass, indicating where the canon should be fired. Pidge stuffed it with some dirty socks and aimed the canon to where Rover was. Rover blinked once to indicate that he was ready. Pidge fired the dirty socks at him. The blast didn't seem to do much to Rover, even with one of the socks blocking his view. Really, the blast only moved him a little, but not by much. He shook the sock off and looked up at Pidge.

"I guess if you barely budged, it probably wouldn't move a regular person," Pidge noted. "I wonder if I can pick up another canon."

Rover went closer to the ground to pick up the socks, but flinched when he heard rustling. He went closer, expecting the visitor to be Hunk, but widened his eye as he stood in front of that prince fellow from the other day. He quickly flew back up to the window and hovered around Pidge.

"Huh? What is it boy? Something wrong?"

"Pidge," she heard a man's voice call out. It wasn't Hunk's voice. She leaned her head out the window to see the same man with the white fringe. He waved at her and her lips spread with glee. 

"Shiro!"

"Pidge, may I come up there?"

"Of course!" Pidge gathered up her hair and threw it out the window. She could barely hold in her excitement at receiving a visitor. As the prince climbed, she tried to calm herself down, but found that it was nearly impossible. When she saw the fake hand touch the windowsill, she pulled him in.

"Told you I wanted to see you again," he said. "How are things?"

"Great! Or, as great as someone living in a tower goes." 

Shiro chuckled. "What's that?" He pointed to the canon she had placed on the floor. 

"Oh, this? It's nothing right now. I'm still testing it out." Pidge looked around her room and picked up one of her other inventions on her desk. "But this is complete." She held a silver string. 

"What's this?"

"Watch," Pidge threw the string in the air and it quickly spread out, forming all sorts of webs and patterns on the ceiling. "And that's not all," she picked up one of her socks and threw it on the web where it got stuck. "I got the idea when I saw a spider once. I wanted to see what it would be like to have webs that were bigger and could hold more stuff. Pretty cool, right?"

Shiro stared at the ceiling without saying a word. 

"I mean, I get it if you're not a spider person-"

"Can anything get stuck on there?" Shiro asked. 

"I wouldn't say everything, but most things do. I've thrown all sorts of heavy items on top and it makes for a perfect trap."

"And can you remove it?"

"It's a little tricky, but," Pidge opened up a cabinet and rummaged through some bottles. She found what she was looking for and splashed the web, causing it to disperse and reverse back to its original size, the sock falling back to the floor. 

Shiro was in awe. "And you made this all by yourself?"

"Not entirely by myself. Rover or Hunk usually help me out."

Shiro's eyes and mouth grew wide. "What else do you have?" he asked enthusiastically.

Pidge was quick to survey the room before settling on what appeared to be an ordinary thermos. She opened up the lid, revealing its empty contents. She put the lid back on and pointed out a thermometer symbol on the side of the thermos as well as a few other options. Pidge set everything up the way she wanted before opening the lid up again, this time, with water coming out of it as if it were a fountain. 

"How did you do that?" Shiro asked as he held his hands out to let it drop on his fingers.

"All it really takes is collecting some air and converting it into water," Pidge explained. "When that gets done, you can adjust the settings here to determine how warm or cool you want the water to be followed by how much pressure you want it to release." She handed Shiro the thermos. "You can try it out if you want."

Shiro closed the lid and examined the thermos carefully. He set everything up to what he believed were his desired settings. When he opened the lid, a torrent of water came splashing on his face. He looked at Pidge in defeat, his fringe becoming damp. Pidge laughed.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I never thought you'd look so funny."

Shiro aimed the thermos at her, splashing her with the torrent of water. She stared at him as he grinned. 

"Funny," he said, "I was just about to say the same about you." 

They continued to mess with the thermos, eventually causing a good portion of the room to get wet. Pidge pulled open one of the drawers and covered the floor with towels as she searched through a shelf filled with books. She found a book of spells and read one of them aloud, her arm stretched out. The room began to dry up quickly, looking as it had before. 

"You're a magic user?" Shiro asked. 

Pidge closed the book and tugged one of her hair strands. "No," she answered. "Not a natural-born one, anyway." She sat next to Shiro with the book in hand. "My caretaker taught me how to read from spell books like these. She told me that these books were designed by old wizards and witches for the purposes of allowing ordinary humans to take part in using magic."

"Is that so? Then do you have to carry a book with you all the time if you want to perform a spell?"

"It depends. If you have enough practice with the basics, then you don't really need the book if you have the spell memorized. The advanced ones do require the text, however, as there's only so much magic a human can take on their own." 

"I wouldn't doubt it if you were advanced in magic."

Pidge rubbed one of her hair strands. "Actually, I'm not really all that advanced with magic. I can conjure up potions no problem, but I can't really produce much of my own magic. Ironic, considering that my caretaker is an expert at it and practically raised me with it."

"By the way, you never did tell me who your caretaker was."

"Oh, well....I'm not sure if I should tell you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it personal."

"It's not that. It's just, Hunk doesn't want me blurting out her name. He told me it was very dangerous if anyone knew who she was." Pidge picked up one of the towels on the floor. "I wish I could tell you, but..."

"It's fine," Shiro assured. "I don't want you to feel pressured to tell me anything it is you're not ready to talk about. I'll still come visit you, regardless."

Pidge lifted her head up. "You mean....you want to continue seeing me?"

"Of course. You're fun to hang around and I have a feeling that you have a lot of inventions you wanna show off."

Pidge smiled. "Thank you."

He stroked her head. "I'm sorry that I have to go. My men are probably wondering where I am."

"Those guys are here, too?"

"Yeah, although it has been oddly quiet and I haven't heard their voices since I got here."

"You should go to them. Quickly." Pidge unravelled her hair out the window. "This forest is full of surprises. Or so I'm told."

Shiro carefully went out the window, grasping Pidge's hair. "Until we meet again, Pidge."

"I look forward to it, Shiro."

* * *

Prince Shiro left the tower and searched for Lance and Keith. He hoped Keith and Lance weren't killing each other already. Imagining them at each other's throats made him run off and call out their names. He heard the two of them nearby and spotted them near a patch of mushrooms. Keith ran up to the prince. 

"Where have you been, your highness?" Keith asked. "We were starting to get worried."

"I was right over there," Prince Shiro pointed to the direction where he was. "I told you I was just meditating. Although, I'm actually surprised you two didn't go after me."

Keith and Lance glanced at each other.

"Uh, your highness, did you say you came from that way?" Lance pointed in the same direction the prince was pointing towards.

"Yes. Why?"

"Prince Shiro, we did search for you there."

"What?"

"Your majesty," Keith continued, "as your personal body guard, I could only allow you to be gone for no more than ten minutes. I went to search for you, but did not find you. We spent the rest of this time searching for you."

Prince Shiro was surprised. Surely, the tower hadn't been that far away from where they had entered. More importantly, if they did search for him, then why had they not stumbled upon the tower? Prince Shiro turned around, staring at the trees that had been in the same place they were before. 

"Wait a minute," Keith came closer to the prince. "Why does your hair look like it had gotten wet recently?"

"Oh, that's nothing. Just some water fell on me. You know how crazy this forest can be."

Keith and Lance stared at him. Luckily for the prince, whatever doubts they had, they kept to themselves as they dug something up from behind.

"Before we leave, your majesty, there is something we need to show you," Lance said. When he and Keith turned around to face the prince, they held another of that Altean flower.

"You found another one?" Prince Shiro asked.

"Weird, I know. I thought Coran said that this was a former Altean plant. I thought it meant rare, not that we get to see one once a day."

"Maybe we should have Lady Allura take a look at," Keith suggested.

Prince Shiro approved. "We may need her to have a look at the first one, too."

 

When the boys returned to the castle, they entered the room with the round table. Allura and Coran had a map pulled up, certain areas being marked. They turned their attention to the boys. 

"Good to see you, gentlemen," Coran said. "Have you got the ingredients in your possession?"

Keith took out the bag. "Not all of it, but we did manage to collect most of them. We may only need a couple of herbs and then we'll be good to go with that potion."

"Excellent!"

"However," Prince Shiro spoke, "there is one thing we need to know."

"Of course," Allura encouraged. "Ask away."

Prince Shiro nudged Lance to move forward. Lance pulled out the same Altean flower that they had found just a few days prior.

"There was another?" Allura asked. "That can't be possible."

"That's what I was afraid to hear," Prince Shiro voiced. "This flower should be rare to find then?"

"It should be, yes. Bring it to me."

Lance handed the flower to Allura who took a closer look at it. Sure enough, it looked exactly like the flower needed for the curse-breaking potion. It had the same pink petals with golden tips. Allura levitated the flower before setting it on fire.

"Lady Allura!" Keith yelled. 

The flower burned as its form dispersed. Allura placed a hand over her mouth. Prince Shiro approached her. 

"Allura?"

"This flower is fake," Allura revealed. "The flower needed for the potion isn't susceptible to burning. Coran, bring in the first one."

"Yes, Princess," Coran left the room quickly to retrieve the first flower. When he returned, she set it aflame and it, too, burned. Prince Shiro's nerves were starting to get the better of him.

"It can't be," he muttered. 

"I'm sorry, Shiro," Allura told him. 

The room grew silent. Coran kept his eyes on Allura, Allura stared at the ashes of the flowers in her hands, Keith punched a wall, and Lance tried to hold back his tears. Prince Shiro took a deep breath before speaking up.

"Hope isn't lost just yet," he said. Everyone faced him. "We have to go out there and search for that flower."

"But, your majesty, how can we do that?" Lance asked. "There's no way we can keep bringing back all the flowers we find in that area."

"Then there has to be some way to differentiate a fake from the real one," Prince Shiro argued. "Maybe.....a way to detect to fakes...," Shiro pondered on that thought. He thought about all the different inventions he saw in Pidge's room. The books she had on her shelves. The books that had spells inside. Surely, one of her inventions or books could help them find the real one. Although she was stuck in a tower, surely she, or at least Hunk, would know of the workings of the forest and the tricks it plays. Keith and Lance wouldn't like it, but if he wanted to break this curse, it was their only option. "I may know someone that can help us."


	6. The Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance are hesitant to seek out the girl in the tower, but comply at the wish of their prince. Pidge is more than happy to help them on their quest, but Hunk has his own reservations about the group.

"Your majesty, you don't really mean to go to that girl in the tower, do you?" Lance asked. 

He and Keith were inside Prince Shiro's chambers. Prince Shiro looked out his window, Lance sitting at the edge of the prince's bed and Keith standing in front of Lance. Although Prince Shiro's room was grand in size, there wasn't much to occupy the space. Prince Shiro did not adorn his room with much aside from furniture. 

"I don't mean to go alone," Prince Shiro responded. "As you two are the only ones that know of her, you will be accompanying me. Again."

"No offence, Prince Shiro, but how am I supposed to be a Captain of the Guard if you're always having me move away from the Guard?" Lance questioned.

Prince Shiro looked at him. "Oh, sorry, Lance. I just figured, with a Captain as brave, reliable, and skillful as you, that this quest would go by a lot smoother. I would never dream of being with any other Captain. But, if you believe that escorting the prince is too much responsibility for you, then I guess I could have someone else take over the position of Captain."

Lance pouted. "I'll shut up now."

"I don't know, Prince Shiro, we don't know a whole lot about this girl," Keith retorted. "How do we know she isn't an enemy?"

"I don't," Prince Shiro admitted, "what I do know is that she's the only one capable of helping us. She undoubtedly knows more about the forest than we do. And that Hunk guy seems to know his way around the forest, so he could be useful as well."

"I guess. I don't get why we can't just bring Lady Allura with us. She's a witch, she could probably use her magic to detect the real from the fake."

"You know why we can't bring her. Haggar could easily sneak up on her and place another curse on her. It's better if she helps me run Garrison."

"Oh yeah, leave Garrison in the hands of someone that isn't even their ruler."

Prince Shiro furrowed his brows. "Keith, there are a lot of things I allow you to say because I consider you a friend. Don't abuse that power," Prince Shiro scolded.

Keith flinched and bowed. "My apologies, your grace."

Shiro sat down on a nearby sofa. "You are forgiven. Besides, Allura got out of her curse not too long ago. It would be bad if both of us ended up getting cursed again, so I'd rather take the risk. I trust Allura with running things. And she's proven herself to be quite the dependable leader. Especially when people are more at ease with approaching her."

"Well, your highness, if there's nothing left to discuss, we shall head off. We'll be ready in the morning."

"Very well. Goodnight, you guys."

After Lance and Keith left the room, Prince Shiro lay in his bed. He didn't feel drowsy, so he got up and walked the halls of the castle. He entered a particular hall that held the portraits of his lineage. The earliest of these portraits dated as far back as thousands of years ago. And the most recent of these portraits was one of himself. It was when he was younger. Back when his hair wasn't white and he didn't have a scar. In the portrait, he held his crown under his right arm. When he had his arm. He touched the painting. He touched his former arm with his new one. He recalled posing for this portrait. It was only a couple of months before the curse was placed on him. 

He heard footsteps coming his way. When he turned around to look, he saw a pair of servants carrying baskets of laundry. 

"Are you sure it's alright to wash this late?" one asked.

"Of course. It certainly beats the rush that comes in the day," the other answered.

"Good evening," Prince Shiro addressed the servants. 

The servants jumped and almost dropped the laundry. 

"Oh, your highness," one said. "Our apologizes, we did not know you were up so late."

"Please, it's quite alright. I see your continuing cleaning into the night. I appreciate it. Would you like some help?"

"No, we don't need your help. I meant that in a nice way. Oh, please, you don't have to hide your anger with us, your highness. We'll save this for the morning. We didn't mean to disturb your sleep. Excuse us."

As they quickly fled from him, he could overhear the other whisper whisper, "Maybe the business of the day beats the horror of the night. Who knew he'd be awake at this hour? At least he didn't hurt us."

_Only a couple of months before they feared me._

* * *

Hunk held the canon and aimed it out of the window. He tried to blast out a sack of flour, although it didnt quite go out. The flour ended up blasting up in his face. He put the canon down. 

"Doesn't work," Hunk said, his face having turned white from the flour. 

Pidge wrote down the results in a notebook. Rover was asleep on the desk, glowing softly with his eye shut. Pidge kneeled closer to the canon, inspecting it inside and out. 

"Hm...we may need to work on the slot that holds the canon fodder," she said. 

"I think we can focus on that later," Hunk wiped the flour off his face with a towel. "Madame Haggar wants you to practice the plant growth spell."

Pidge groaned. "Ugh, I hate doing nature based magic." Some of her hair fell off a coat hanger. She went over there to put it over. "I don't get why it has to be so difficult to control something that relies on dirt and soil to live." After she hanged her hair on the hanger, she grabbed a pot that had a little stem emerging. "The worst part is that I know I'm going to fail this spell. And when I fail, she's going to make my hair grow longer," she grabbed a couple of strands of her hair. 

Just then, a voice was heard from the distance. A familiar voice.

"Who is that?" Hunk asked.

A rock came flying through the window, causing Hunk and Pidge to squeal and waking up Rover. They looked out the window to see Prince Shiro, the lanky Captain and the emo ninja. Pidge and Hunk had their mouths agape, although for two different reasons.

"Shiro!" Pidge called out. 

"Pidge," Shiro replied back, "we need to speak with you. Please let down your hair."

As Pidge was about to grab her hair, Hunk placed a hand on her shoulder and looked down at the three men.

"Nu-uh, no way," Hunk said. "You three aren't coming up here. You shouldn't have come back."

"You will obey the orders of the Prince!" Lance yelled back.

"Oh yeah, well, your prince didn't order for her hair to be let down. And even if he did, this isn't his kingdom, now is it?"

The lanky Captain said something to Shiro before Shiro spoke up.

"What if we made an arrangement?" Shiro asked. "You name the conditions to allow us to enter the tower and we'll follow it."

Hunk stared down at them. Pidge nudged his arm. 

"Please, Hunk?" she pleaded.

"Fine," Hunk said. "If you want to come up, leave your weapons behind."

Shiro complied and looked to urge his men to do the same. They dropped their weapons to the floor. Shiro stared at his arm, looking at it in confusion. Pidge could tell that he wasn't sure if his arm could be considered a weapon. She turned to Hunk.

"Hunk, he needs his arm," she said. "How else is he supposed to climb up here?"

"You, prince," Hunk pointed down, "leave your arm on. Just don't get any ideas." A smile was spread on Shiro's face. Just as Pidge was about to throw her hair, Hunk stopped her. "Hold on, one second," he told her before pointing to Keith. "You, red one, I said drop your weapons."

"I did drop my weapons!"

" _All_ of them."

Blades and arrows slipped out of Keith's sleeves. He shrugged his shoulders.

" _All of them_."

Keith pulled out more weapons from the collar of his shirt and unravelled a roll of weapon inventory that was around his stomach. He presented himself.

" ** _All of them._** "

Keith continued to pull out weapons from his garments and shake off any loose ones that were in his sleeves and pants. He took off his shoes, where weapons fell out. Pidge stared at him in awe. She had no idea how one person could fit that many weapons on themselves. Hunk raised an eyebrow as Keith crossed his arms, staring up. Hunk gave a nod to Pidge and she let down her hair. 

 

Once they reached the top of the tower, Pidge pulled out some chairs for them to sit on. She sat on the floor, a pillow tucked underneath her, and Rover remaining on the desk, looking back and forth at all the people in the room. 

"You are so lucky our mistress isn't here," Hunk said. "If she saw you, she would surely turn you three into bugs and then squish you." He poured himself a glass of water. "What were you even thinking, throwing a rock to this tower?"

"Well, you can blame Lance for that one," Keith said as he side-eyed Lance.

"What? All the greatest stories involving towers and balconies involve rock throwing," Lance defended. 

"Anyway, what do you want?" Hunk asked. 

Shiro composed himself before speaking. "We humbly request your assistance." He took out a picture of a pink flower with golden tips. "We are in search of this flower. We thought we found it before, but it seems the plant life in and around this forest is enchanted to look like it."

"You can't accept a look-alike?"

"I'm afraid not. We need it to help brew a special potion. This flower is the key to making it work."

"And what makes you think we'd be of any use?"

"The two of you have assets that we don't have." Shiro faced Hunk. "You seem to know your way around the forest. We figured you'd know the ins and outs of what goes on here. We could use you to navigate around the forest and guide us through some of the more dangerous parts."

"Alright. But you said 'two of you.' Why Pidge?"

Shiro looked at Pidge. "Because she has the tools to help us find the real flower." He bowed his head. "Pidge, do you by any chance have an invention or spell that could pick apart lies?"

"Well, actually," she looked up at Hunk who shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know." She averted her eyes from Shiro.

"Hey, wait," Keith said. "Spell? Shiro, she's not a witch. Is she?" Keith raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, no, she's not," Shiro tried to assure. "It's just, I figured with all these books she must have-"

"Wait a minute," Hunk interrupted. He looked down at Pidge. "Did you let him back into this tower?"

Keith and Lance stared at Shiro. Pidge could feel herself growing red. She twiddled her fingers.

"Well....uh......"

Hunk loomed over the three men. "That's it. You three need to leave. I don't know why you thought it was a good idea to ask us for help on finding some flower for some secret potion that we don't even know what it's for."

"Look who's talking about secrets," Lance spoke up. "You're the ones who won't even tell us who your mistress is. I don't know about you, but two humans in an enchanted forest with one stuck in a tower seems awfully suspicious to me! Oh, I'm sorry, I guess maybe one of you isn't human after all if she can conjure up spells."

"You don't know anything about her! Just leave her out of this!"

"What, is the handmaiden gonna use his kitchen utensils to threaten me? Hey, maybe you should have let us bring a sword so we could chop all this hair off!"

Hunk and Lance shoved one another, accumulating into an all-out fight. Keith tried to break apart the two, but found himself caught in the squabble, doing his best to protect Lance from Hunk's attacks. Rover hid behind a stack of books, although he glowed almost enthusiastically at seeing three idiots beating each other to a pulp. Pidge and Shiro were sweating. Their bodies were shaken up. Both of them let out a yell at the top of their lungs.

"ENOUGH!"

Keith was on Hunk's back, Hunk had Lance pinned to the floor, and Lance had his hand shoved against Hunk's cheek when the three of them stopped to look at the pair that weren't fighting. Rover turned down the tone of his glow, still curious to see what would happen next. Pidge and Shiro let out a sigh as they faced each other.

"Forgive Hunk. He's only looking after me," Pidge requested.

"No, no. Please, forgive my men for instigating this fight."

"Hey, I didn't instigate anything," Lance said.

"Not now!" Pidge and Shiro replied. They faced each other again. 

"How about this," Pidge began. "We help you with finding this flower. I can try to look up a spell or see if any of my inventions could help in detecting false qualities in an organism. In exchange," she glanced at Hunk, "you give my friend one thing he requests. And...,if you can, help me find a way to come and go out of this tower whenever I please."

"I can do that," Shiro responded in a relieved tone. He held his hand out, but Pidge gently placed it down. 

"There is one more thing to this deal," she continued. "I don't want any secrets between us. Which is why, I think it would be best if we told one another what the other wants to hear."

"Very well. And if I may add, we aren't allowed to attack each other over discovering the information we desire."

Pidge nodded. 

"Wait, Pidge, I'm not sure this is a good idea," Hunk said. 

"It'll be fine, Hunk. And if something goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

Hunk got up and walked to her side. He readied himself to protect her. 

"My caretaker," Pidge said, "and his mistress....we are under the rule of Madame Haggar."

Keith and Lance got up quickly, posturing themselves for a fight. Shiro stepped in front of them.

"Haggar is your mistress?"

"Yes," Pidge looked up at him. "She's one of the most important witches in the world. It would be dangerous if anyone found out."

"Most important witches?" Keith asked in an annoyed tone. "That has to be a load of-"

"Keith," Shiro hissed. "Alright, we understand. I guess it's my turn. The reason we're looking for this flower is because it is a key ingredient to breaking curses." He lifted his right arm up. "This arm has been cursed. I have to fix it. For the sake of my people."

"And what is this curse?" Hunk asked. 

Before Shiro could answer, Pidge spoke. "You don't have to tell us the details right now. I don't want to pressure you into telling me anything you don't feel comfortable talking about." She grabbed his right hand. "Now we can finalize the deal."

Shiro appeared happy over their deal, even when the other guys were still staring daggers at each other.

* * *

 

Prince Shiro was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't believe he had managed to make a deal with her. Although it would be a while until they could return, as Pidge and Hunk explained Haggar would be visiting the tower the next day, he still looked forward to working with them. He rolled over to his side, letting his head sink into one of the many pillows on the bed. 

He couldn't say that he was surprised to hear that Pidge was under Haggar's care, if one could call it that. But, he wasn't angry with her or even Hunk. He recalled her describing Haggar as "one of the most important witches in the world." She technically wasn't wrong, but there definitely was a sense that she has been misled about what Haggar really does. He was about to close his eyes when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

A servant opened door, their head hung low to avert the prince's gaze. "Your highness, Sir Coran requests for you to spar with him tomorrow. He emphasizes that the sparring session will be light and nothing intense."

Prince Shiro pulled himself up. The servant took a step back.

"Tell him we can spar first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, your majesty. Goodnight, your majesty." The servant ran out of the room, shutting the doors behind them. 

Prince Shiro sunk his head back down into the pillow. While he maintained his physique, it had been a while since anyone last sparred with him. He felt a bit relieved that it was Coran as the curse most likely wouldn't be in effect with Coran as the opponent. If anything, Prince Shiro would retreat to his garden to meditate before the session. He closed his eyes and remembered voices from long ago. Voices that said in a tone of genuine happiness:

_Prince Shiro, we're so glad you're here._

_When will you become King?_

_Long may you reign._

_Thank you, Prince Shiro._


	7. Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has responsibilities they need to maintain, whether it be to their studies, work, or even to loved ones.

When Haggar came for her visit, Pidge and Hunk made sure that anything related to the canon was hidden. Pidge centered the pot in the middle of the room, repeating the incantation that was written in one of her spell books. The stem from the pot did not grow exceptionally. Rather, the root of the plant hopped out of the pot and ran around the room. It got into a fight with Rover, who led the running root back into the pot where Pidge read another spell that reverted the root back to normal. 

"I don't think Madame Haggar is going to be very happy with this," Pidge uttered. "Why couldn't she have me perfect a potion or build her another invention?"

"There, there. It'll be alright," Hunk said as he prepared some drinks and snacks. He carried a tray to the small table that was a ways away from where Pidge would demonstrate her magic. He poured some drinks in a couple of glasses. "Besides, you still have time to practice before she gets here. Do you remember when she's supposed to arrive?"

"Any minute now."

"What?"

A puff of black smoke engulfed the room. Out from the smoke was Haggar standing in the middle of the room. Hunk bowed before her.

"Madame Haggar," he said, "I've set up a seat and prepared some confectionaries for you."

Haggar did not acknowledge him as she walked over to the table area and took her seat. She looked up at Pidge.

"You know what to do," Haggar said. 

"Of course," Pidge said as she cleared her throat. She stood tall, holding the book in one arm, and holding her free arm out. She read what should have been the plant growth spell, only for the stem in the pot to grow fangs and become ravenous. Pidge tried to read the spell again, but this time the ravenous stem grew into a ravenous venus flytrap. Pidge was freaking out, not knowing what to do until Haggar fried the venus flytrap with her electric powers. Haggar stood up, looking down on Pidge. 

"You did not master the spell," Haggar pointed out. She addressed Hunk next. "Did she spend time practicing the plant growth spell?"

"Yes, Madame Haggar," Hunk verified. "Miss Pidgeunzel practiced every day since you assigned it to her."

Haggar squinted her eyes. "Hunk, leave us. Return to my house. I need to speak to my ward alone."

Pidgeunzel gathered her hair and set it up for Hunk to climb down. After Hunk left, Pidge collected her hair and stood before Haggar. Haggar eyed Pidge. 

"Pidgeunzel, do you know why I give you spells to practice?"

Pidge flattened her dress. "It is because I am your successor."

"Correct." Haggar placed a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "My dear Pidgeunzel, you are human. You do not have the same capabilities I possess and you may never be able to defeat me in battle, not that you'd dare to challenge me." She squeezed Pidge's shoulder before lifting up the girl's chin. "But you do have more potential compared to other humans. You have been raised by my magic. Kept in this tower so that you may advance further in your studies. One day, you are going to take over my responsibilites and you must learn how to work around magic so that others may fear you. These books are the key to your success." Haggar let go of Pidge's chin and held a strand of her hair. "Know this, however: if you cannot perfect the spells I assign you, then you better be good at brewing potions and you must create useful inventions for our reign." Pidge's hair grew longer in length. With that, Pidge could feel the tower increasing in height. "You will take my place someday. When you do, you will be ready to carry out my legacy. How you do it will be up to you."

Haggar teleported out of the room, leaving Pidge alone. Pidge looked out from her window. She saw the same view of trees she's always seen. She jumped on her bed, sobbing in a pillow. Rover flew to her side. She looked at him and held her hand out. He landed on her palm as she nuzzled her nose to a side of him that wasn't his eye. 

"Oh, Rover," she cried, "I don't know what to do. I've been preparing my whole life to fill her role. But, as I get older, I don't know if she views my upbringing as a waste of time. I wasn't born with magic. My inventions have started to get rusty. I don't exactly bring fear to anyone. It's not like I'm even great at interrogating," Pidge paused. _Interrogating_. _Interrogating_.

Pidge leapt out of bed and rummaged through her bookshelf. She pulled out one of the only two history books Madame Haggar had ever given her. She flipped through the pages and stopped at one that had an illustration. The illustration consisted of a person tied to a chair with another person holding an orb before them. There was some text written underneath the picture.

_Rather than hire a skilled witch or wizard, some humans in the olden days would build their own devices to get the truth out of criminals. Humans found that they could create their own orb of truth by placing memory herbs inside the orb and reciting a spell that would power the orb._

Pidge pulled out another book, one that had documentation of the plant life growing in the forest. She found a section dedicated to plants that were used to help with memory. If she could put those inside an orb, then she could test out bringing the truth out of organisms. She grabbed a piece of paper and started writing down all that was needed to get started on it.

* * *

Prince Shiro's sparring session with Coran was met with concern from the servants. Keith stood by in the event something went wrong, although he didn't look worried at all compared to the other staff. Coran seemed confident in himself as he threw punches and kicks in the prince's direction. Although Coran was a bit old, Prince Shiro did find the older man's attacks to be swift. Coran certainly kept Prince Shiro on his feet. In the end, Prince Shiro was able to take down Coran, although he kicked him with a little bit of force against the wall.

The prince ran up to him. "I am so sorry, Sir Coran," he apologized. "I didn't mean to kick you that hard."

Coran tidied himself up. "Not to worry, Prince Shiro. If you were able to beat me without the curse activating, then that means you're getting a better handle at it."

Prince Shiro knew that Coran wasn't exactly the most difficult opponent he's ever faced, but it comforted him to know that the man was thinking about his well being. It was still good practice for the prince's body, as he needed to keep up with his practice for self-defense. Cursed or not, he couldn't be a real ruler to his people without learning how to fight back. The two of them walked out of the training grounds, Keith following behind them.

"Let's get some breakfast," Prince Shiro recommended.

 

They were seated at the dining hall, Prince Shiro seated at the head, his plate already served before he arrived. Coran took a seat next to him, and Keith stood behind him. Before Prince Shiro took a bite out of his breakfast, he turned to Keith.

"You know you can eat at the table with me, right?"

"It's fine, your majesty," Keith responded. "I ate earlier."

"As long as you're not skipping meals," Prince Shiro continued to eat his food. 

Just then, Allura entered the dining hall.

"Good morning, Princess," Coran greeted. "Won't you sit with us?"

"Good morning, Coran," Allura said, "Shiro. Keith. Actually, I stopped by to remind Shiro that we have a meeting with the mayors of Garrison's major cities today."

"And what is this meeting for again?" Keith asked.

"It's mostly a report on what's going on in those places," Prince Shiro said. "I have to keep tabs on how things are going outside of the palace. They were a lot harder to arrange before, but with Allura around, we're able to have them more frequently."

"I shall be waiting for you in the meeting room," Allura said. "Oh, is Lance not here?"

"Lance is out patrolling the nearby city. I've had him accompany so often on these missions that I'm afraid I've kept him from performing his duties."

"When are you going to tell us about these missions of yours?" Coran asked. 

"I'm afraid I can't reveal that yet," Prince Shiro rose from his seat. "But I can assure you that these missions are helping us with finding that flower."

Although Keith didn't say anything, it was clear that he had a problem with these missions. He held his tongue, following the prince on his way to the meeting. 

 

Later that evening, Lance returned to the castle with his team following behind him. He divided the work between them for the next few shifts. After that, he dismissed the Guard and he went straight for looking for the prince. During his search, he found Keith waiting outside of the meeting room.

"Is the prince in there?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, and he's busy," Keith replied. "You're gonna have to wait for him to come out."

Lance stood next to Keith. He looked around to make sure that there weren't any servants around before bringing up the subject of Haggar's underlings.

"I don't know about you, but I don't think we should be going back to that forest," Lance said. "Not to those people anyway."

"I couldn't agree more. I don't exactly trust them. The long haired girl might not be too much of a threat, though. Just that big guy acting as her protector."

"You mean the handmaiden?"

"Why do you keep calling him that?"

"He essentially is. Honestly, he's not much better than you in that regard."

"Will you stop viewing me as a servant? If I hadn't dropped out of the Guard, I would have been named Captain and you know it."

"I thought I knew a lot about you, but you have a funny way of proving me wrong." Lance put his hands behind his head. "Besides, being Captain isn't as easy as I make it look."

"Oh yeah?" 

"Yeah. You'd think it'd be fun being on top of all the crime that goes on, especially when you stop crime near the castle. Except," Lance turned to face Keith, "you realize anyone can be in the position of Captain. If they have the right heart, physique, and good looks, then anyone can replace me. Well, almost anyone. You only have two of those things."

"And what two are those?"

"Why do you want to know? Anyway, I doubt you'd have the patience to be Captain, anyway."

"I won't deny that. That was part of the reason I dropped out."

"Seriously?"

Before Keith could answer, the meeting had been adjourned. City mayors exited the room, Prince Shiro and Allura coming out last. 

"Sorry it took so long, Keith," Prince Shiro apologized. "It turned out there was a lot to talk about in this meeting."

"It's fine, your highness."

"I'm afraid it isn't," Allura said solemnly. "One of the mayors reported sightings of Witch Haggar capturing animals in their city. Witch Haggar has been more willing to show herself in public lately. She's probably taking great pleasure in it since she knows I can't pinpoint her exact location."

"Which means I need to be more diligent about security," Lance chimed in. "I'll send a message to all law enforcement to keep an eye out for her."

"Thank you, Lance," Allura responded. 

"For now, I need to test something out," Prince Shiro said. "Do you guys by any chance know which is the highest structure in this castle?"

Confused, Lance answered that it would have to be the castle itself. Prince Shiro settled for that as the group accompanied him outside. Once outside, he shapeshifted his hand into a grapling hook and aimed it at the top of the castle. He opened up his left arm.

"Lance, could you come here for a second?"

Lance went to the prince, and the prince wrapped his free arm around Lance's waist. He started climbing up the top of the structure, carrying Lance with him. When they got to the top, Prince Shiro said, "You're taller than she is, but I think if I can carry you, then it won't be a problem carrying her."

"Wait, your majesty, please don't tell me you plan on carrying that girl out of her tower."

"It'll only be a temporary solution. She might be more willing to help us out if we can get her out of the tower sooner."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

The two of them went back down, Prince Shiro letting go of Lance once they reached the ground. Lance looked up in amazement to take in just how far the prince's grapling hook hand was able to go. The grapling hook reeled itself back and as it got closer to its master, it glowed and reverted back into an arm. 

* * *

Hunk had cleaned Haggar's home while she was busy training some animals outside. He peaked out a window and noticed how those animals were ordered to maul the test dummies before them. He quickly looked away, clutching the broom that was in his hands. He continued to sweep the floor for any leftover dust on the floor he may have missed. After he was done, he went into his room, which was located on the bottom floor of the house, next to the basement. 

Hunk sat on his bed, thinking about what food to make for Pidge the next day. He would have to get up earlier in the morning so that he may cook for not only him and her, but for those trespassers. He tried to get angry at them, but he smiled to himself. It was comforting to know that Pidge would have more companions. He'd often wished he could introduce her to his own friends. Especially Shay.

In his pocket, he pulled out an earring. Shay's earring. He remembered the last time he had seen her. He had just left Pidge's tower, and Madame Haggar was to be gone for a few days. He used that window of opportunity to visit Shay and her family. They had kept thanking him the whole duration of his visit, and kept him up to date with the success of their crops. When he and Shay found some time alone, they walked through the fields, hand in hand, looking up at the sky. They didn't get any sleep that night, choosing to be in each other's company. 

Dawn had come, and to this day, he could recall her body leaning on his, his arm around her. They took in the beauty of the sun rise. But with the sun rise came the realization that Hunk had to return to Haggar's home. Before he left, Shay removed one of her earrings and placed it in his palm.

"Shay," he said. 

"It's okay," Shay told him. "I want you to have this. I don't know when you'll be coming back. But, when we're apart or if there ever comes a time when you can't return, please take this to remember me by."

"Shay, I would never forget you," he cupped her face and she leaned down to give him a kiss.

Hunk rubbed the earring. He gave it a kiss before putting it back in his pocket. He took another look at the checklist that he had to complete for tomorrow. Mostly chores for the morning followed by his visit to Pidge. He went to bed, dreaming of how nice it would be for Pidge and Shay to meet.


	8. Touch the Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge reveals her plan to help find the real flower needed for the curse-breaking potion. As they start on their journey, Pidge isn't the only one who gets lowered.

When Pidge let down her hair for the prince and his men to climb, she was surprised to see that Prince Shiro had not gotten a hold of her hair. After letting the other two in, she looked down, seeing that he hadn't even attempted to climb her hair.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it," he told her. "But you might wanna step back for a moment."

Pidge backed away from the window, not knowing what it was that Shiro was up to. Rover hovered closer, but quickly flew back behind Pidge as a grapling hook was shot through the air, projecting itself on the windowsill. Pidge went over to the window to see that Shiro had morphed his arm into a grappling hook, using that to climb her to tower. She was amazed that he could climb the tower using only one arm. Once he got there, the grapling hook turned into an arm again and he made his way inside.

"I didn't realize you could do that."

"I had to test it out before trying it here. For the time being, I should be able to carry you in and out of this tower."

"C-carry...?"

Hunk clanked a ladle on a pot. "Hey, we can talk about that later. For now, we should go over what the plan is." 

Pidge and Prince Shiro went over to the others. Pidge threw her hair over some coat hangers and nightstands so that it wouldn't get in the way. She and the prince sat next to each other, Hunk serving food to everyone. 

"Thank you, handmaiden," Lance said. 

"I have a name," Hunk said. 

"Oh, right. I guess I should have referred to you as Haggar's minion."

"Lance, that's enough," Prince Shiro scolded. "We don't want to cause any trouble." The prince looked to Hunk when his bowl of food was passed to him. "Thank you, Hunk," he emphasized the name for Lance to hear, "for making us this meal."

"Eh, it's not really my best dish, but you're welcome. At least someone has manners."

Lance huffed at the jab that was intended for him. Everyone took a sip out of the soup that was made. Hunk and Pidge ate their food normally. Prince Shiro, Lance, and Keith took a moment to take in the flavor of the soup. When they had a taste of this delectable dish, their mouths and stomachs were filled with a kind warmth. A warmth that was welcoming and safe. The three gobbled down the soup with smiles spread across their faces and drool coming out of their mouths. Pidge and Hunk eyed one another in a mixture of disgust and confusion. The three were done with their meals. 

Lance held his bowl out. "Hunk, I was completely wrong about you. Please forgive me for my incompetence earlier. If I could just have one more serving of that soup."

Prince Shiro and Keith followed suit in holding their bowls out, their eyes begging to get another taste of the soup. Pidge nudged Hunk to serve them more. Hunk collected the bowls and gave them seconds. This time around, the three took their time in letting the flavor really sink into their tongues. Pidge was relieved to see them more relaxed thanks to the cooking. 

After everyone ate, they went over what the plan would be. Pidge opened her history book to the page that contained the interrogation scenario. She explained how she would need to collect memory herbs in order to piece together her truth orb. Keith pointed out that, aside from the light pink flower with golden tips, there were still other ingredients missing for the curse-breaking potion. It was decided, then, that they should split up into groups so that everyone can get ready. 

"Hunk, since you know your way around the forest, you should probably accompany us to find the missing ingredients," Keith recommended.

"If that's the case, then I suppose Shiro should be with me," Pidge said. "He and I could go find the memory herbs."

Pidge glanced at the prince and he smiled at her. Hunk pouted. 

"Nope, you're not being alone with this guy," Hunk said. "I haven't forgotten that you're cursed. And since you won't tell us what that curse is, I'm not leaving you alone with her."

"How about I accompany them?" Keith said. "I am the prince's personal guard."

"Alright, Hunk, I guess it'll just be you and me, then," Lance said. Before they all headed out, Lance slid over to the prince and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry, your majesty. Knowing Keith, he won't get in the way of your little date."

"What?" Prince Shiro asked in confusion. Lance winked at the prince. 

Most of the guys climbed down the tower through the usual means of Pidge's hair. Soon, it was just Shiro and Pidge left. Shiro transformed his arm into the grapling hook like before. 

"I'm sorry if this seems awkward for you," he said. "I should have asked before I tried this out."

"That's okay. I don't mind at all. So, how exactly are you gonna take me down?"

"Climb on my back."

Shiro squatted and Pidge lifted herself up on his back. 

"Am I too heavy?" she asked. 

"Not at all," he answered. He adjusted the hook to the windowsill before carefully standing on top of it. Pidge stared down below, her heartbeat growing faster. "Don't look down, okay? I won't let go." Pidge shut her eyes tightly as Shiro continued with getting them down. He made slow and steady jumps down. When they got to the ground, Pidge was still clinging on to him. The grapling hook came back to him as his arm and gently patted her hands. "Pidge, you can look now." 

Pidge opened her eyes to see that she was on the ground. She unwrapped her legs around Shiro and carefully treaded her feet on the grass. Her heart skipped a beat. It had been years since she last touched the ground. Pidge took off her socks and shoes to feel the the dirt between her toes. She jumped up and down in excitement. Her cheer was contagious as everyone else felt happy seeing her excited over this new venture.

* * *

Pidge, Shiro, and Keith wandered through the forest, with Pidge on the lookout for memory herbs. She would usually bend down to pull or cut them from the ground. She placed the herbs in a basket, and covered them after she placed them inside. 

"So, you're a prince, right? Is it common for princes to go out on journeys? What do you usually do? How did you find the time to go on this quest of yours?" Pidge sorted the herbs inside her basket.

"Well, I wouldn't say it's common. I try to divide my time up evenly so that I can be there for my kingdom and go on quests like these. I'm not officially king yet, so it's actually easier for me to find more time for myself."

"Oh, do you know when you'll be king?" Pidge covered the basket as she got up.

"To be honest, no. I know I'll have to take up being King someday, but I don't want my people to have a king that's cursed. I'm lucky to have Lady Allura and Sir Coran help me out."

"Lady Allura and Sir Coran?"

A ladybug flew around Shiro and he held a finger out for it to land. "Oh, I never mentioned them to you. I met them at the beginning of the year, and by accident no less. Keith and Lance were accompanying me on a voyage to a town. Well, not much happened there, so we ended up sneaking around a nearby ruined city. We entered what appeared to be a temple and found two beds: one with Sir Coran, one with Lady Allura. Or, as we soon learned, Princess Allura."

"You found a princess inside a temple? Which kingdom is she from?" Pidge clasped her hands together.

The ladybug on Shiro's finger flew away. "Actually, her kingdom doesn't exist. Not anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Allura and Coran's kingdom was known as Altea. Ever heard of it?"

"I think I might have studied that before."

"Well, as it turned out, they were cursed to sleep for 10,000 years."

"10,000 years?!"

"Crazy, I know. When they woke up, I invited them to my castle. After that, I learned that they needed help getting back on their feet and I made them members of my court."

Keith moved ahead to walk alongside them. "Just don't believe Lance when he says that he woke up Lady Allura with a kiss."

"Does he say that a lot?"

"You have no idea." 

"He's said it so much that I've had to ban him from telling the story on several occassions," Prince Shiro remarked. "Because then he adds how he single-handedly fought a dragon, how Allura personally made him her knight when he 'kissed' her, and then it becomes an entirely different story."

Pidge chuckled. "It seems like he has a pretty active imagination."

"Only when it comes to girls and Keith."

Pidge grabbed the last of the herbs needed for the truth orb. The three of them headed back to the tower, passing by mischievous creatures that took on many odd shapes. There was a bell-shaped flower that followed them, swaying its leaves back and forth. It soon attached itself to Pidge's dress. Shiro and Keith were ready to cut the flower off, but Pidge pulled on one of its leaves and it ran away.

"Don't worry, those things are harmless," Pidge said. She lifted her skirt to reveal a stain. "The most they really do is leave marks like these."

"Have you worked with those plants before?" Shiro asked.

Pidge shook her head. "They used to come into Madame Haggar's garden a lot when I was little. When they first clinged onto me, I panicked. When they got off of me, I cried when I saw the marks they had left. I thought it meant I was diseased." Pidge snorted. 

Shiro could only imagine a tiny version of Pidge running around, waving her arms around with those bell flowers clinging to her. He recalled a similar incident that had him cracking up. 

"That's nothing," he said. "When I was little, I snuck away from my nurse and wondered around the castle on my own. I ended up in the kitchen, where the cooks were preparing a meal for me and my parents. I saw this barrel of tomatoes and thought it would be fun to go inside it. What I didn't realize was that the barrel was actually filled with tomato sauce. I got out, ran in search of some clean clothes. My nurse saw me, and screamed before she fainted. All the other servants were panicking, too, when they saw me covered in the red sauce. It wasn't until they took me to the doctor that they realized I wasn't covered in blood. My parents were angry with me, but also peeved that no one was able to figure out I was just covered in sauce."

"So, you've always been one to look for trouble?" 

"Mmm, maybe? I could say the same for you. Leaving your tower, what dangers you could possibly get into."

"Hey, I get a pass. I've been in that tower for three years."

They reached the area the tower was in. Pidge sat on the ground, running her fingers through the blades of grass. She rested her body on the ground, her hair covering a good portion of it. "The ground isn't as comfortable as I thought. But it is different."

Shiro sat next to her as Keith remained standing, on the lookout for any danger that might come their way. "How did Haggar take you to this tower?" Shiro asked.

"She levitated me up there," Pidge revealed. "The tower was shorter then. She made it so that the longer my hair becomes, the higher the tower gets."

"And you can't cut it off?"

Pidge fiddled with one of her hair strands. "Madame Haggar would find another way to lock me up. That's what she would do before I moved here. Besides, I don't know if I'd really cut my hair. It's the only interesting thing about me."

Shiro was taken aback. "The only interesting thing about you? Pidge, that's not true. You've been able to make all sorts of inventions and you can work with magic despite being human. I don't think your hair is all that stands out about you."

Pidge sat up. "That is a nice thought. But all those things, even my hair, they take time to develop. Madame Haggar probably just felt pity for me when she took me in. I mean, my own parents were willing to use me as payment to get out of their crimes, so they must not have thought I had any sort of potential."

Keith looked up at the sky. "And you think that's why you're not interesting?"

"Hm? Well, maybe. It's hard to explain. You probably think I'm just being mopey over not knowing my biological family."

Keith turned around and sat on the ground with them. "No, I don't." He pulled out a small blade from his belt. "I'm an orphan, too."

"You are?"

Keith removed the sheith from the blade, staring at his reflection. "I lost my parents when I was pretty young. Didn't get to know a whole lot about them. No one really wanted to adopt me, either, so I was alone until I started training to be a part of the Guard." He held the blade out. "This knife is all I have left from my folks. It was my mother's."

Pidge stared at the blade. It was no bigger than a kitchen knife and had bandages covering the handle. Keith continued. "I didn't last long in the program. But Prince Shiro was kind enough to hire me as his personal guard."

Shiro looked at him. "It was the least I could do after you and Lance found me."

"Found you?" Pidge asked.

Shiro looked down. 

"That's a story for another day," Keith said. He put the blade back in his belt.

The three stared at the clouds passing by. A gentle breeze blew past them. No further words needed to be spoken until Hunk and Lance returned with the remaining ingredients as well as another Altean flower. Prince Shiro thanked Pidge and Hunk for their assistance. It was decided that the Altean flower should be left in the tower for when Pidge finished making her truth orb. Before they left, Prince Shiro beckoned for Pidge to come to him.

Rather than going on his back like before, Pidge was held in Shiro's left arm. His arm turned into a grapling hook that was shot to the windowsill and they proceeded to climb up. Pidge's face grew warm as she felt her body against his. She didn't notice until now just how much taller he was compared to her. He was even taller than Hunk. When the two entered the tower, Shiro let her go. 

"That felt weird, didn't it?" he asked embarrasedly.

"Huh? No, no, not all," Pidge said. "I mean, it sort of did, but not in a bad way, just in a 'I'm not used to it' to sort of way, which isn't to say it's good, although it did feel good-"

Shiro placed a hand on her head. "Was it really alright?"

Pidge nodded. "Yeah. I liked it."

A blush crept in on Shiro's face and he was about to wrap her in his arm again until Hunk called out, "I'm still here!" from below. The two said their goodbyes as Shiro went down before Hunk climbed back up. 

When Hunk got there, he was the one to pull her hair up. 

"Looks like I'll have to wash this hair again," he said as he held up her hair which had caught dirt and leaves inside. 

 

That night, as Hunk washed out all the grime that Pidge's hair had caught, Pidge hummed a tune, with Rover joining her. Hunk grabbed a brush to brush out the ends of her hair. 

"You seem to be in an awfully good mood," he pointed out.

"Hm? Oh, no, I mean yes. I was just thinking about how nice it was to be outside of the tower again." She petted Rover with her finger.

"Oh, and I don't suppose there are other things you're happy about?"

"What else would there be?"

"I don't know," Hunk continued to brush, "perhaps you took in the sight of the forest or got to climb a tree, there are lots of things you could have been doing."

"Yeah," she admitted. "All that stuff was nice. The air, the bell flower, Shiro-"

"Shiro?" Hunk stopped brushing.

"Uh, no, I said.....hero. Heroes. Yeah, because you and the other guys are my heroes for getting me out and-"

Hunk stared at her, a grin spreading across his face. "You like the prince, don't you?" He poked her cheek with the brush.

"What? No, I just-"

"Uh-huh. Deny it all you want it's not gonna do you any good."

Pidge sighed. "You're not mad?"

Hunk resumed brushing. "Mm, not too much. I would have been really disappointed if it were Lance or Keith. More specifically Lance since that man has no manners." He finished brushing her hair. "I just want you to be careful. Okay?"

Pidge smiled. "Okay."


	9. The Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the search for the flower continues, an unexpected enemy appears. Amidst the fight, Shiro displays what he's been trying to get rid of this whole time.

Pidge had managed to assemble her orb of truth, although she waited to use it until the others found another Altean flower. She left it behind in her tower as she joined the others on the quest. This time around, everyone searched for another flower together, going deeper into the forest. Hunk took the lead of the group, keeping his eyes open for any danger that might come to them. Everything in the forest seemed to illuminate. The animals, the plants, even the sky looked like it had been lit up. Pidge ran ahead of the group.

"Hey, I think I've found one!" she exclaimed, kneeling down in mud to dig out the flower she saw. The guys rushed up behind her, circling her as she dug out the flower. When she presented the flower, Lance took a closer look at it. 

"Hm...it is pink, but it's not light pink," Lance said. "It looks more like a hot pink to me."

Pidge frowned.

Shiro took the flower from her. "Maybe we could still check when we get back. We still have plenty of room in this bag to carry more than one flower." Pidge's face lit up as she pulled herself up and everyone moved forward. Everyone's feet was getting covered in mud. Lance loudly complained about it.

"Ah, and these were my best hiking boots."

"If they're hiking boots, why are you complaining about them getting dirty?" Hunk asked.

"These are no ordinary hiking boots! I paid good money for these. They were worth a quarter of what I'm worth."

"So, they weren't worth very much then," Keith said.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're worth.....less than I am!"

"Oh, you got him good," Hunk said.

Keith rolled his eyes as they continued along the trail. They stumbled upon a diverse patch of flowers. Everyone bent down to search through. Keith pulled out one that resembled the Altean flower, with Hunk and Shiro following. They placed the flowers inside, carefully sealing the bag. Pidge tried to walk closer to Shiro, her hands behind her back. 

"I'm surprised you're not complaining," she said. "Aren't you concerned about getting dirty?"

Shiro shook his head. "Nah. A little dirt never hurt anyone. I was only paranoid about getting dirty when I was little. Nowadays, there are more important things to worry about and worrying whether or not my shoes get caught in mud is not one of them."

"I'll bet. You must own a lot of shoes and a lot of clothes."

"I do. But I still wouldn't want all of them to get dirty. I don't even know how you can stand your hair getting caught in all this mud."

Pidge looked behind her to see that her trail of hair had caught more leaves, branches, and dirt compared to the last time she was out of her tower. "Oh, Hunk is not going to be happy with this."

"Does he wash your hair?"

"Mhmm. It's one of his duties. I should probably help him this time around, though. Especially if I can leave my tower more often."

"You could try styling it. Keeping it up or having something to prevent it from dragging."

They reached a larger patch of various flowers. Were it not for the trees that surrounded it, this would have been its own field. As it was larger than the last patch, everyone decided to split up. 

As Pidge dug out what she believed to resemble the Altean flower, she noticed some vines underneath the dirt. She lifted one up. She wasn't sure where the source was, so she began pulling the vine out. As she kept tugging it, the vine seemed to come to life. Fed up with her constant tugging, it wrapped itself around her arm. 

"Ah!" she screamed, trying to shake the vine off.

Shiro heard her and saw her arm covered in green. 

"Did you get stuck?" he asked.

"No, this vine latched onto me," the vine began pulling her away. Shiro went behind her, pulling her away from the vine. When it wouldn't let go, he shifted his arm into a blade and cut the vine off. He put her down, the remains of that vine falling off her arm. "Are you okay?"

She shook her arm. "Yeah, I'm fine. I knew I wasn't very good with nature."

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Not very good? Yesterday you knew what to do when it came to that bell flower."

"That was different. Those things are relatively harmless. They leave you alone when you touch them. Everything else in nature that's sentient doesn't listen. Not to me anyway."

Shiro knelt down and started picking all sorts of flowers.

"Those don't look like that Altean flower you described," Pidge pointed out.

"I know," Shiro continued to pick the flowers. "But I think these flowers would look nice for a flower crown."

"A flower crown?"

"You've never heard of it?"

"Judging by its title, I can infer what it is. But why would you want a flower crown when you already have one waiting at home?"

Shiro smiled. "Flower crowns can be for anyone. That's what's so fun about them." He took out his own bag and placed the flowers inside. "Besides, this isn't for me."

"Is it for Allura....?"

He shook his head.

"Lance?"

"Heavens, no." He got up and turned his arm into measuring tape. He wrapped it around her head. "It's for you."

"M-me?" She felt her face flush. "Why me?"

"Well, you said nature doesn't listen to you. If you wear a flower crown, they're sure to do your bidding." The tape turned back into an arm. "They'll also know not to mess with you."

"Shiro..."

 

The moment was cut short as they heard something not far from them. It was a low, growling noise. Pidge tried to move forward to see what it was, but was pulled back by Shiro who used his left arm to keep her at bay from whatever the noise was. They heard stomps move around, approaching closer to them. Out from behind the trees were the reptilian monsters from when Shiro and his men first searched for the flower. 

"Don't panic," Shiro whispered. "I'm going to turn my arm into a shield. When I do, I want you to run and warn the others."

"Shiro, I'm not leaving you behind," Pidge whispered back.

"You're not leaving me behind. You're getting help. Please."

Pidge stared at him and back at the reptilian monsters with their tusks coming out of their bodies. "Alright."

Shiro's arm glowed and it warped itself into a giant shield, tall and wide enough to cover the two of them and then some.

"Now!"

Pidge dashed away from the scene, although she could hear the monsters roaring. The closer she got to the other boys, she began to scream.

"Shiro needs help!"

Keith and Lance ran up to her, Hunk following behind. 

"What's happened with the Prince?!" Keith asked. 

"There's a herd of monsters just out where we were! He made himself a shield, but I don't know how long it's going to last."

Keith and Lance took the lead in rushing back to the prince. It looked like Prince Shiro was in a bind, barely being able to lift his shield in all directions as the monsters clawed at it. Lance pulled out his bow and an arrow from his quiver. He aimed it at one of the monsters and shot the arrow. The monster noticed him, its attacks now aimed at him. Lance shot another arrow at it, this time at a spot that wasn't covered with tusks. 

"I thought you took care of these things!" Lance yelled.

"I was trying to get away last time!" Keith argued as he pulled out his chain scythe from his shirt. He threw it at one of the monsters, effectively causing it to fall over. "Even if I got rid of one or two, that doesn't make the whole species go away!" He threw daggers at a couple that were in the way. 

The reptilian monsters were now completely focused on Keith and Lance. The two kept fighting on with their weapons. When one was about to attack Lance from behind, Hunk rushed over and slammed his body against the creature. 

"Need a little help?" Hunk asked as he punched the creature in the eye. Lance and Keith grinned, but their attention was brought back to the monsters as they slashed their torsos. 

The wounds weren't deep as they were able to get no more than a scratch. However, the creatures continued to fight them, headbutting them and throwing them in the air with their tusks. 

Pidge looked on in worry, trying to think of something she could do to distract them. She rummaged through her bag to see if she brought anything that might help the situation. One of the reptiles stepped on her hair and saw that it was hers. It ran to her, preparing to thrash her, until Shiro came and used his shield to knock it out. He grabbed her hair and the two ran. They found a nearby bush and ducked behind it. Shiro took a quick glance above the bush to see the fighting ensue. Pidge took a look, too, and noticed Hunk in the battle, weaponless.

"We have to help them," she said. "Maybe I can start a fire and they'll run away."

"No, that would hurt everyone," Shiro pointed out. "We don't even know if these things are resistant to fire. Their bodies look like they could handle intense heat."

Lance, Keith, and Hunk were starting to wear out. Their hands, legs, and faces had been bruised. Lance pulled out his sword, trying to keep them at bay, until one of the creatures swung its tail at him and knocked him over. Keith and Hunk were pushed around with the tusks. Shiro took a deep breath.

"I'm going out there," he got got out of the bush. Before he left, he turned to Pidge and said, "No matter what happens, don't move from here until it's safe."

"But, Shiro-"

"And if you can, try not to look at me."

He ran to the fight without looking back. His arm shifted into a blade that he used to hit the reptiles in the face. Pidge watched the fighting ensue. She kept thinking of a way to get the monsters distracted. There had to be something around her she could use. She still kept watch on the fight. She didn't know how Shiro's involvement would help, especially when three grown men couldn't take on these beasts. But, from what she could tell, he proved to be good support. He managed to take down the monsters that were toying with Hunk and Keith. He jumped on top of another and choked it. It was looking as though he'd be able to protect all of them. 

And then another reptile came out and flung him across. Shiro's back hit against a tree, the reptile coming towards him. It placed its paw on top of him, crushing him. Pidge ran out of the bush. 

"Shiro!" she cried. 

Shiro's eyes were shut tight. He had his hands around the paw, struggling to remove the monster from him. As Pidge was about to touch the creature, Shiro's demeanor changed. When he opened his eyes, they glowed yellow like Haggar's. His frown twisted into a demented smile, revealing his teeth growing into fangs. His left and right hands grew claws. He grabbed the monster by its neck and choked it as he pulled himself up. He let go of it, only to kick it across the field. 

The other monsters came at him, but he used his claws to swipe them out of the way. As they kept coming, he chuckled, the chuckling growing into an uncomfortable laughter. He was the one thrashing them, doing more than just scratching them. 

"Is that all you've got?" he asked nonchalantly.

The reptilian creatures cowered in fear, running away from the scene. Pidge was about to approach him until Hunk made his way to him.

"Um...Shiro?" Hunk held his hand out.

Shiro grabbed Hunk's hand, holding it down tightly.

"You wanna fight me next, big guy?" Shiro twisted Hunk's arm, pushed him to the ground, and stomped his foot on Hunk's back. Hunk cried out in pain. "What's the matter? I thought it would take someone stronger to take you down." He applied pressure on his foot, moving his foot up to Hunk's head. 

Lance shot an arrow through them. Shiro looked up. Keith and Lance were in battle positions.

"That's enough, your highness," Keith said. 

"If you wanna fight someone, fight us," Lance added.

Shiro let go of Hunk, walking slowly to Keith and Lance. He cracked his neck. 

"If that's what you want," Shiro shifted his arm into a blade. "I'd be more than happy to teach punks like you a lesson in picking fights with the wrong person." He screamed as he thrusted himself towards them.

Keith and Lance dodged his attacks. Keith threw the scythe blade around Shiro's ankle. Shiro just cut the chain off with his blade. Lance took out some darts, aimed for Shiro's neck, and threw them. Shiro was quick to grab them, tossing them away. 

"Fools!" Shiro tugged on the other half of the chain that Keith was holding on to, throwing him to Lance. He sat on top of them and punched them both across the face. He kept punching them, until Pidge ran up and grabbed his wrist. 

"Shiro! Stop!"

Shiro turned to her, eyeing her up and down. He smirked. "You best not get involve, girly," he swiped his hand away from her. "But, I guess you're a fool who needs to be taught a lesson, too." He punched her in the gut, Pidge falling down. 

She clutched her stomach, staring in horror at the bloodthirsty man that was before her. This couldn't have possibly been the same Shiro she had come to know and love. Could it? He was about to grab her, but she crawled away rapidly, struggling to get on her feet. Shiro saw her long hair coming down, and he pulled on it. She yelped. She turned to see Shiro trying to rope her in. She pressed her fingernails into the dirt, hoping that he wouldn't succeed. Unfortunately, her fingers couldn't hold on for long. She tried crawling away again, but she was being dragged by Shiro. As she looked on in horror, she felt something against her hand. The vines. 

Pidge grabbed a vine with one hand and let go with the other. Shiro held her up by the centerfront of her dress as she hid the vine behind her hair, tugging it as much as she could. 

"How dare you run away from me," Shiro said. "I am the Prince! I am the best fighter in this entire land. While you....you're just a weakling that only knows how to run. Know that I look for a challenge! And you-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but maybe you want to hold on to this." She presented the vine to him. 

"Huh?" He grabbed it and the vine enveloped in his arm. He dropped Pidge, the vine continuing to engulf his arm. Lance used this opportunity to hand Keith one of the darts in his pocket. Shiro used his claws to cut away the vine, unaware that Keith was behind him. Keith slammed the dart on Shiro's right shoulder blade. "Agh!" Shiro fell down.

Pidge looked at Shiro, until she heard Hunk groaning. She went over to Hunk, lifting him up by putting his arm around her shoulder. 

"Hunk," she said. 

Hunk got to his feet and the two went with Keith and Lance. Shiro's claws were disappearing. His mouth was open to reveal that his fangs had disappeared, too. Everyone was hurt and exhausted. Keith and Lance's faces were swollen. Hunk's arm was in bad shape. Pidge set Hunk back down. She stared at Shiro, walking back cautiously. Shiro moved his head around, moaning. He opened his eyes slowly. They weren't glowing anymore.

"...ugh...," he tried to wake up. "Pidge?"

Pidge didn't know what to say. She continued backing away. Shiro sat up. She flinched. 

"Pidge, what's wrong?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She ran away from him and everyone else. 

"Pidge!" Shiro called out. He got up and chased after her. 

 

Lance and Keith were starting to wake up themselves. Prince Shiro wasn't where he was before. They called out to him. Hunk got up, too, although he was leaning in on Keith and Lance. 

"What was that?" Hunk motioned his arm to the area. "Did you know about this? That your prince was like that?"

"Hunk," Lance said. "We, we thought-"

"You thought what? He wouldn't get like this?" Hunk gestured to them, then placed his hand over his hair. "I have a broken arm. You two have messed up faces. And Pidge....," he looked around. "Great. She's not here. Do you realize you could have gotten her killed? All of us killed?!"

"We're sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to fix this! Start talking. What was the meaning of Shiro's behavior? Was it his curse?"

Hunk huffed, his good hand being clenched up. Keith stepped forward.

"Yes," Keith admitted. "We...should have told you long before. We'll tell you everything. How it all happened."


	10. Tragedy Behind the Curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro catches up to Pidge and tells her the story of how he received his curse.

Pidge sat at the edge of a river bank. Her shoes and socks were next to her. Her bare feet in the water. She stared at them, wiping her dribbling nose. Her sobs didn't completely stop. It was getting difficult for her to breathe. Footsteps were heard nearby. She turned around cautiously to see Shiro, sweaty and worn-out. Pidge had wanted to run again. To get away. But she remained, opting instead to look away from him. 

Shiro didn't run to her. He took slow, easy steps. He saw her tattered purple dress and noticed the blood marks on her fingertips. Her hair trailed behind her, all sorts of twigs, leaves, and dirt covering it. It was frizzy. He walked to the edge of the river, but made sure to leave enough distance between the two. He sat with his knees close to his chest. 

"I hurt you, didn't I?" he asked.

She refused to look at him. _How could he ask such an obvious question_ , she thought. 

"I know this won't mean much, but I'm sorry," he said. "I should have been more careful. But now, now you've seen what my curse is about."

Pidge rubbed her fingers together. 

"I'll tell you," Shiro faced her. "If you're willing to listen, I'll tell you how I got cursed."

Pidge nodded. 

"It started two years ago." He tugged on his fringe. "I didn't always have this white fringe. All of my hair was black back then. I went on an expedition to a mountain area. It was snowing, and freezing. I was in search of a hot springs I had heard about. I told the guards that came with me to stay behind while I searched. I saw steam coming just up ahead. I made my way through the snow, and found it. It was pretty exciting. Just as I was about to go back down to tell the guards, I noticed a figure in the distance."

Pidge had her eyes fixated on the running water. 

"I approached the figure, thinking someone must have gotten lost. When I got close enough to them, I realized too late who it was." He bit his lip. "It was...Haggar."

Pidge stopped looking down. She still couldn't look at him, but her hands scrunched up the dirt. 

"She grabbed my arm, sending jolts through my body. I passed out." He took a deep breath. "When I woke up, I could feel every inch of me ache." He held his arm out in front of him. "Well, almost every inch of me. When I realized I no longer had my right arm, I freaked out. I was so shocked," he pulled his fringe, "that my hair turned white. I saw Haggar bring out this arm. I asked her so many questions, but she attached the arm to me without ever answering me. I was becoming more and more frustrated. I could feel anger overflowing in me. The rest is kind of a blur, but from what I remember, I went crazy. I found I could shapeshift the arm and turned it into a blade so I could break free from my straps. Haggar was smiling. She seemed content with my state. The last thing I remember from being in that room was trying to attack her, only for her to deflect my attack and leave me with this scar across my face.

"When I came to my senses again, I was inside the castle's infirmary. Keith and Lance were waiting for me, to see if I was okay. They told me that they found me unconscious in the forest and took me back home. I was grateful to them. Keith didn't have much of a job and Lance was on his way to becoming a part of the Guard. I gave them the highest honors I could think of and made Keith my personal guard and Lance the Captain of the Guard. 

"Anyway, none of us really knew the extent of the curse. That is, until I got better and continued my training. I had pushed myself to undergo rigorous training and I blacked out again. When I regained my consciousness, I found out that I had ended up attacking my instructor, some nearby servants, and Keith. And that wasn't the only time. I realized that I would go berserk if I felt my life was in danger or if I was in an intense situation. Even if I take the arm off, it comes back reattaching itself to me when it needs to. News of my curse spread across Garrison, and now," he clenched his fist, "everyone's afraid of me. 

"Almost everyone avoids making eye contact with me, my people are afraid to speak up about what's wrong, and worst of all, no one views me as a person. They all think I'm a monster. I guess I am." He sighed. "You probably think I'm a monster, too. And I can't blame you. I just wish you didn't have to see my curse in action. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Pidge looked at him. Her gaze was on his arm. Her arm. 

"I am scared," she confessed. "I am scared of what you'll do and when you'll go berserk again." Shiro looked down. But Pidge continued, scooting closer to him. "But I know it's not your fault." A lump was caught in her throat. Her tears started up again. "It's my fault!" She latched herself on to him, embracing him. Her body was shaking up. "I am so sorry," she looked up at him. "It's all my fault. If I had just hidden the prototype for that arm. If I had never made it at all, you...."

Shiro returned her embrace, rubbing her back. "Shhhh, it's okay. You're not the one who cursed me."

"I might as well," she placed her hands on his chest. "I....I'm supposed to be Madame Haggar's successor. I give her my inventions for her purposes. I'm the real monster here."

Shiro moved a loose hair from her face and placed a hand on her cheek. 

"I'm sorry, Shiro. If this is what being Madame Haggar's successor means, then I don't want to become like her. I don't want to hurt people. Especially good people like you." She placed her hand on his. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be holding on to you like this. You probably don't want me around you."

"Pidge," Shiro cupped her face with both hands, "no, don't think that. I do want you." He pulled her closer to him. "Pidge, you are the most creative, caring, passionate, and beautiful person I have ever had the honor of meeting." He touched her forehead with his. "You mean so much to me. I wish you could see what I see in you." 

"Shiro..."

The two moved their faces closer, giving each other a kiss. As they kissed, Pidge put her arms around Shiro's neck, and Shiro put one hand at the back of her head with the other on her back. They pulled away, staring at each other. Shiro wiped away Pidge's tears. They smiled. 

"We won't succumb to our troubles," he told her as he cradled her in his arms. "I'm going to break my curse. And if you don't want to be Haggar's successor, then you won't have to be. We'll take our lives back. Together."

Pidge nodded. They stayed in that position for a little while longer. Pidge rested her head on his chest, and Shiro rested his chin on her shoulder. 

"Hey, don't get me wrong, I love being this close to you," he said, holding her closer. "But, maybe we should take things slow. We don't want to worry the others."

Pidge circled a finger on his chest. "You're right. We shouldn't be moving too quickly. Can I still say I love you?"

"Of course." Shiro kissed her forehead. 

Pidge smiled, until it hit her. _The others_...She got up quickly. 

"Ah! I totally forgot about the others!" Pidge panicked. "They're probably out there looking for us!"

Shiro's face became shocked, too. "You're right. We should go look for them."

 

When Pidge and Shiro met up with Lance, Keith, and Hunk, no one said anything for a solid minute. Keith and Lance had placed some cooling patches on their puffed up cheeks. Hunk had his arm bandaged up. No one knew who should speak first. Shiro took the first step.

"Hunk, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I'll tell you about my curse-"

Hunk raised a hand. "No, you don't have to." He pointed his thumb to Keith and Lance. "These guys already explained it to me. And, while I'm not exactly happy with you right now, I do understand that you have no control over that curse of yours."

"If there's anything you want, you're free to ask for it," Shiro said. "It won't count as compensation for the deal."

Hunk sighed. "Just give us some space for a few days. It's a lot to sink in."

"I understand."

Hunk looked at his broken arm. "I'm gonna have to find a way to explain this to Madame Haggar. The worst part is that I'll have a difficult time climbing the tower. Seriously, I won't be able to do much with only one arm. I know it's temporary, but I don't know how anyone can live like this."

He looked at Prince Shiro, who was staring at him with a blank expression.

"Oh, sorry....," Hunk said timidly. 

"If it's alright, we'll keep the Altean flowers for now," Lance said. "We won't move forward with finding the real one until we've had some time to recover."

Everyone agreed. They headed back to the tower. Shiro carried Pidge back up, although he did not go inside with her. Before he went back down, he pulled out a flower from his bag and handed it to her. 

"Let's make that flower crown when I get back," he said. 

As he went back down, Pidge smelled the flower and placed it in a cup of water before making her hair into a lift for Hunk to ride in. She kept the end of her hair while throwing the rest downward. Hunk got on and she pulled him up.

* * *

Pidge tried to look through some spells to see if she could heal Hunk's arm. She read aloud one that could reduce the pain, and Hunk found that his arm felt somewhat better.

"It still hurts," he said. "But it doesn't feel very broken."

Rover examined it before looking to Pidge.

"Can you lift it?" Pidge asked.

He attempted to, and although physically better, he found the task to be difficult. 

"If Madame Haggar asks, I'll just say I fell." 

"I hope it heals soon," she said. She picked apart the twigs and leaves from her hair.

"Washing your hair is gonna be a lot harder this time around." Hunk looked at her tattered dress. "I think I should buy you a new dress, too."

"Oh, you don't have to. I could just say one of my experiments went awry and this was the result. It may be ripped in some places, but it still works. I don't think Madame Haggar would care much if that was the case."

"Well, I care. And I won't be taking no for an answer."

Hunk attempted to take out the bucket to begin washing Pidge's hair. She could see him struggling to set everything up, so she stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, let me wash my hair."

"Are you sure?"

"I've done it before."

"Not when it's this long."

"Please," she begged. "You need to rest."

Hunk sighed. "Very well. But I'll be checking in on you tomorrow to see how well you did."

Pidge smiled. Hunk gathered his things as Pidge set up her hair to let him down. He stepped on her hair, holding tightly to her hair. Before she let him down, he had one last thing to say.

"Be sure to throw the dirty water out of the window," he instructed. "And throw out as many branches and as much dirt as you can."

"I will."

He smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

She carried him down as gently as she could. She didn't pull her hair up immediately as she wanted to see him off. Once he was out of sight, Pidge carried her hair back inside. She didn't start washing her hair right away. Instead, she searched for her canons. With Rover's help, the two disassembled the canons that were made. She ripped up the plans that would have been used to make them better.

While she did get to filling the bucket with water and soap, she let a section of her hair soak as she read through one of the spell books to find one of the most advanced spells for humans to master: the teleportation spell. 


	11. In Which Lance Takes Over This Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain of the Guard reminisces of family and an unrequited love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter stemmed from a dare my sister made for me. She wanted me to title one of the chapters that didn't focus on Shiro and Pidge something like, "The One in Which Neither Shiro nor Pidge are the Main Characters." I decided to simplify it to the current title it is now.

Lance was in his office, swamped with paperwork. The majority of reports given to him were of misdemeanors, petty crimes, and, oddly enough, missing pets. His pen had run out of ink. He reached for another pen on his desk, but accidentally bumped a picture frame. He picked the frame of, caressing the image inside. It was of his family. Lance recalled when he last talked about them. It was when he and Hunk were searching for the remaining ingredients of the potion.

* * *

Although Lance had been nicer to Hunk after eating the soup, he was still suspicious of him. Lance kept his guard up, ready to take his weapon out at any given point. Even when they stopped to rest, Lance stood behind Hunk. What he didn't anticipate was Hunk screaming over a mushroom that ate a fly. 

"That is freaky," Hunk said, quivering in fear. 

Lance raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be used to this sort of thing. I mean, you work for Witch Haggar after all."

"Not because I want to."

"Is she forcing you?"

"Well, not exactly," Hunk answered. "I mean, she did leave this mark on me until I repay my debt to her," he lifted his headband to reveal Haggar's mark. Lance grabbed the helm of his sword, ready to attack. "Relax, it doesn't do anything," Hunk covered his forehead with his headband. "It just means that I'm in her service."

"And how did someone like you get caught up with her? Did you ask her to grant you a wish or something?"

Hunk leaned against a tree. "Not for me. For someone I care about."

"Oh? Do tell."

Hunk crossed his arms. "They needed help with their crops. I went to Madame Haggar for soil that would allow them to prosper. Now I work for her." He uncrossed his arms as he slumped down. "I know I shouldn't have, but the people I cared about needed it. I check up on them when I can, making sure they're well secured and well taken care of. But, I wish I had more time with them. Madame Haggar usually has me busy and I don't know...you probably wouldn't understand. You have a job that gives you glory. Something for your family to be proud of."

Lance let go of the helm. He sighed. "Glory doesn't mean anything if you can't share it with your family." Lance stared at a family of birds in a nest atop the tree he and Hunk were leaning against. "I won't lie, I did train for the Guard because I thought it would be cool. But, when I got to the castle, I felt...lonely."

"How can you feel lonely?"

One of the birds in the nest flew away. "I didn't know at first. But then I started remembering all the things I left behind at home."

"You grew up in a nice place?"

Lance chuckled. "Yeah! I mean sure, it was kind of in the poor section, but there was so much there. If I could, I'd go back there in a heartbeat."

"Oh, yeah. And what exactly do you miss from there?"

Lance's eyes grew wide in excitement. He pumped his fists in the air. "Oh, where to start? Let's see, I'd definitely have to say the food stalls. The smell from those food stalls were my alarm clock. And how could I forget the beach! The beach is so close by to home, we could go there at any time." The bird that left returned to the nest, a bug in its mouth. The other little birds ate the bug. "And my mom...my dad...my siblings and cousins...everyone..." Lance cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all sentimental."

Hunk smiled. "No, it's fine." 

It was then that Lance realized that Hunk wasn't so different from him. They both took on responsibilities for the people they held dear to them. And they both missed those people everyday. 

* * *

Lance took out a blank paper and started writing a note. The note went as followed:

_Dear Mom,_

_Here's the money for this month. I added a bonus since I know school's coming up for the little ones. Tell Dad that yes, I am allowed to use my sword if necessary for combat, and no, I cannot use it to chop food/wood/etc. How are Grandma and Grandpa? I'm still working close by the Prince's side, so I don't know when I can visit. I'll stop by when I can. I love you._

_-Lance_

 

Lance walked down one of the corridors of the castle, carrying the letter in hand. He was walking rapidly, hoping to get the letter sent out as soon as possible. He passed by some servants and a few important looking figures. He overheard one of the servants talking about Keith. He tried to eavesdrop on the conversation, but ended up bumping into someone. 

The clash caused both parties to fall down. Papers were flying everywhere. Lance swiped through the papers to search for his letter. The man he bumped into saw an envelope and didn't recognize it as his own. 

"Excuse me, sir," the man said, "is this yours?"

Lance looked to see a man with short gray hair and rectangular glasses holding the envelope. The man jumped. 

"Oh, my apologies, Captain my Captain," the man apologized. "I didn't realize I was in your presence."

Lance took the envelope, but was satisfied that someone had recognized who he was.

"No need to apologize," Lance said. "I should be the one held accountable for not paying attention." Lance slipped his letter under his uniform. "Let me help you pick up these papers. What's your name, old timer?"

The man saluted Lance. "The name's Samuel Holt, Captain, oh, Captain. A pleasure to meet you."

The two continued to stack the papers. Lance asked, "Do you work for the Prince?"

Samuel shook his head, still smiling. "Not yet, sir. But I will sooner or later. I just need to submit these papers to the bureau and I'll be working as a scientist for the Prince in no time!"

The papers were all back together. They both got up. 

"Thanks for your help, Captain, my Captain."

"Not at all. Good luck," Lance continued to walk rapidly down the corridor, this time being more aware of his surroundings. The old man was rather odd and quirky, but he supposed that a personality like that would be needed to become a scientist.

* * *

Lance was out in the training grounds, watching some of the new soldiers partake in exercises. He sat under a tent, hoping to find someone that would catch his eye to recruit in the Guard. He sipped on a drink, chuckling to himself as he remembered when he was in those soldiers' shoes. When he had been out there, training to join the Guard, he envied the superiors who could relax and enjoy themselves. It had been one of his personal goals to rise in rank so that he could be the one enjoying himself. Lance could see that these soldiers were working themselves to death. He snapped his fingers and a servant appeared.

"Once these guys are done, prepare some cold drinks for them," Lance ordered. The servant bowed and did what they were told. Lance continued to sip his drink.

"Are those drinks out of pity or because you genuinely care?" Keith asked, having appeared before Lance out nowhere.

Lance spit out his drink. "Keith? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Prince Shiro?"

"The Prince is meditating right now," Keith pulled up a chair and sat down. "And I got nothing better to do." Keith poured himself a drink from the pitcher that was on the table. Lance wanted to call him out on how carefree he was acting, but knew that he didn't need to stress the Prince any more than needed. 

As the young soldiers were exercising, he noticed three of them running laps around the track. One soldier, a young girl with a braid, was sprinting, a smile across her face as she passed by another female soldier with a bowl cut who was pushing herself to run faster. It reminded Lance of when he and Keith were in training. 

"It'll take more than speed to be a part of the Guard," Lance pointed out.

"Funny to hear that coming from you," Keith said. "You always gave me a hard time for not keeping up in training."

"But you caught up, didn't you?"

Keith smirked. "Yeah, I did. And I managed to beat you in that race." Keith drank from his cup. 

"Pfft, that was years ago. I bet if we had a rematch, I'd beat you."

"Oh yeah?"

A male soldier that was running fell down. The braided soldier and bowl cut soldier stopped in their tracks and went to help him back up. 

"Speed may not be everything, but teamwork is vital to being in the Guard," Lance said. 

"I can agree with you on that."

Lance stared at Keith. Keith was the type of guy that tried to come off as having a noncaring attitude, but Lance could see just how much little moments could touch him. Even back then Lance could tell what emotion Keith was feeling. And in this instance, Keith was clearly nostalgic. The only thing Lance couldn't figure out was what made Keith feel the way he felt. And that's what bugged him the most when being around Keith. 

"Ya know, if you wanted a more respectable title, you could always become an instructor for these cadets," Lance imagined Keith in a uniform. "You'd have to answer to me, but I'd consider that an honor."

Keith furrowed his brows. "You're crazy if you'd think I'd ever want to take orders from you."

"Crazy? I know we're rivals, but I thought you'd rather take orders from me than anyone else."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I'm an awesome man. But I guess you don't think that, huh? You think I'm beneath you, right?"

"What? I don't think that."

"Then how come you're always trying to shoot me down."

"Because you try to shoot me down!"

"Well if you weren't such a show off-"

"Look who's talking!"

A servant meekly approached Keith, informing him that the prince had just finished his meditation. Keith left Lance without saying goodbye. Lance got up and went back to his office. Before he left, he took another look at the cadets. The trio from earlier were talking to each other as they grabbed the drinks that were ordered for them. They were laughing. Lance sighed. 

 

 _When did we drift apart?_   Lance thought. He could remember the first day he met Keith. It was the first day of school. Lance had gotten accepted into the Guard program and he had just arrived in the city the day before. He recalled how lost he was with the sight of the castle looming over in the background. The school was in between the city and the castle, and he was excited to be able to live in between those two places. When he left the auditorium after that first assembly, he looked at the charts that were posted on the wall. Those charts revealed roommates for the dorms. And next to his name was Keith. 

Keith wasn't with him when he read the room arrangements. However, Keith was already in the room when Lance came to put his stuff away. Keith was lying in bed, staring at the top bunk. 

"You Keith?" Lance asked. 

Keith lifted his head and waved his hand. "Yup."

Lance put his stuff down. "Man, I am so excited to be a part of the Guard! I've been dreaming about this my whole life!"

"We're not part of the Guard yet," Keith made clear. "We're just training to be a part of Garrison's Guard."

"Well great heroes have to start somewhere. And this is my start." Lance sat down on a nearby chair. "Just think. The two of us fighting crime, taking down badies, and getting all the glory."

"Us?"

Lance felt his heart stop. He was embarrassed. He had just met this guy and already he was being buddy-buddy with him. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

Keith sat up. "No, no. It's fine. I just didn't think you'd peg me to be a hero type."

Lance lightened up again. "Of course I do! Let's see, you look like the silent type. The one that prefers to fight crime in the shadow of the night. And as for me, well, I can't hide this handsome face from the sun, so I'd be fighting in the day. We're perfect complements for each other! We are night and day!"

Keith laughed. "You're pretty funny, you know that."

"Hey, man, I'm just laying out the truth like it is. What do you say partner?" Lance held his hand out.

Keith shook his hand. "Yeah, partner." 

* * *

That felt so long ago now. He was back at his desk, reviewing the reports before him. He looked out his window to see the sunset. He didn't know what he was thinking back then. Night and day. Both are needed to make the world go round. And although there are times where they are together, their union doesn't last. For the most part, it's either day or night. It's not meant to be both. From what Lance could tell, Keith didn't need him anyway. He supposed maybe that's why Keith dropped out. Lance was finishing up the last of his reviews when Coran entered the room.

"Evening, Lance," Coran said. 

"Oh, hello, Coran," Lance replied, still writing away. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Why yes indeedy. The Princess has called for a meeting."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

Lance stopped what he was doing and followed Coran out of the office. When they entered the room with the round table, Prince Shiro and Keith were already seated beside Allura. 

"What's going on?" Lance asked as he and Coran took their seats. 

An image was projected over the table. It was an image of dogs and cats.

"Lance, have there been any recurring reports about missing pets?" Allura asked.

"Uh, yeah, actually," Lance answered. "Why?"

Allura shook her head. "Just as I feared. I spoke with a man that was at the castle earlier. During our conversation, he mentioned stopping by a town he and his family used to live in. When he was there, his former neighbors told him that dogs and cats were being kidnapped."

"Ah, so you want me to find this petnapper. Leave it to me, Princess."

"Actually, I already know who's responsible." Allura waved her hand to reveal an image of Haggar. "This man told me that there was a reason he and his family moved. Apparently, a few of the townspeople had seen her lure the animals away. Haggar is planning something, but I don't know what."

Prince Shiro and Keith shifted their gazes. Although they didn't know what her plan was, they and Lance knew someone that would know. If Witch Haggar was being more active now, that had to mean something. The people of Garrison could be in danger. Lance clutched his hands together. 

"We might know someone who knows what she's planning," Lance revealed.

"Lance," Keith hissed.

"No, we have to be a bit more open about this," Lance said. "I won't say their names, but protecting the people of Garrison is my priority."

"Lance, what are you talking about?" Allura asked.

"Prince Shiro, he can't do this," Keith pleaded. 

Prince Shiro closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked determined.

"I'm sorry, Keith," Prince Shiro said. "But he's right. As long as we don't mention them by name, we'll have to be honest."

Lance explained to Allura how they had come across an underling and a special underling of Haggar's in the forest. He made it clear that neither of them wanted to be under her employment, but since they were close to Haggar, they might know what's going on. All the while, Lance could feel Keith's stares piercing through him. After he finished telling them of the people they met, Allura and Coran eyed one another.

"If what you say is true, then we're going to need you to question these underlings the next time you see them," Allura said. "I'm surprised they haven't turned you in."

"Like I said, they don't want to hurt us," Lance assured. "If they did, they would have turned us in a long time ago."

"Or maybe they're afraid of what'll happen to them," Allura muttered. She sighed. "Very well. If you feel as though you can keep trusting them, I won't stop you. Just be sure to get as much intel as possible."

They all agreed. 

 

When the meeting was adjourned, Keith followed Lance, pulling him aside.

"What did you do that for?" Keith asked. "Hunk and Pidge are on our side. You shouldn't have thrown them under the bus like that."

"Hey, I didn't say their names did I?" Lance looked Keith straight in the eye. "Look, I had to tell them. We can't keep hiding them forever. The Princess may be mad now, but if she's our ally, then she deserves to be in the know. I had to say something, Keith. You may not like it, or me, but I have a duty to the people that I need to uphold."

Keith backed off. He bit his lip before speaking and shaking his head. "I cannot believe I'm going to say this, but you actually make a good point."

"Thank you."

Just as Lance was about to walk off, Keith stopped him again. 

"Wait. Why do you think I don't like you?"

Lance paused. He felt his body shake up. Without turning back, he said, "Well, if you did like me, maybe I'd be more important to you."

"Excuse me?"

Lance turned around. "You know, Keith, I can tell a lot about you. I know when you're upset, angsty, and all that stuff. What I don't know is why you feel that way. If I'm the reason you feel that way."

"Lance..."

Lance yelled out, "When are you going to start taking me seriously?!" Lance ran back to his office, too afraid to look back. 

When he returned, he closed the door behind him and sat behind his desk. He saw a class photo of when he was in training. In that photo, he had an arm around Keith. Those were the short times the day and night could coexist. He threw his head back. The Prince had better luck in love than he did. And he wished them happiness. Lance only wished he could be the one to reach out to Keith. Lance put his focus back on his work, holding back the stress of not being able to go to his family or be with the man he loved.


	12. Flower Crowns and Mice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is introduced to a new set of friends as she, Prince Shiro, and Keith make flower crowns.

Pidge repeated the spell again, her mind focused on the screw that was on the table. She concentrated her mind to where Rover was, which wasn't very far as Rover was atop one of the shelves. When Pidge said the spell, a spark came out, causing the screw to fly off the table and roll around the floor. Pidge sighed, exasperated over another failed attempt at the teleportation spell. She flopped on her bed, the complication of this spell wearing her out. 

"No wonder Madame Haggar said unless I mastered the teleportation spell," Pidge hugged a pillow. "I can't get this spell right. And I haven't even tried it on myself." She looked at the screw. "Maybe that's a good thing." 

"Pidge!" 

Pidge got up from her bed, poking her head out the window. Down below was Hunk, and out from the bushes was Shiro, Keith, and Lance. Pidge waved at them, Hunk turning around to see the others. He didn't look very happy, but he didn't send them away. Pidge adjusted her hair to be a lift for Hunk to ride on. She lowered her hair slowly, Hunk hopping on when the hair reached the ground. When he arrived, Lance spoke.

"Hey, can we get a lift, too?"

Hunk shook his head. Pidge smiled and undid her lift-like hair. Lance slumped down, but was pushed forward to climb to the top. Keith was behind him, and Shiro was the last one. When they all came inside, Pidge was quick to pull out her orb of truth. 

"Alright, so with this, we should be able to pick out the real one from the fakes."

"Before we get started on this, there's something we need to ask you," Lance said. 

"Oh, okay."

"Do you know anything about Haggar taking animals?"

"Lance, don't be so blunt," Shiro scolded.

"Um....no, I don't know anything about-"

"Tell us the truth," Lance interrupted. 

Shiro glared at him. "Lance!" He turned to Pidge. "Forgive him, he's just a bit agitated at the moment."

"That's okay," Pidge said. "I know it's been a few days and all." She rubbed her arm.

Lance turned to Hunk. "What about you? You spend a lot of time with Haggar, right?"

Hunk avoided making eye contact. "Yeah, I do." He sighed before facing Lance. "I've seen her training some mutated animals lately."

"Training them to do what?"

"...to attack....," he looked down at his arm. "I don't know what for. She hasn't been telling me too many details about those animals. All she's said is that they'll be the ones to start something big."

Lance put a hand under his chin. "What could she possibly want?"

Shiro looked at Hunk's arm. "Um, how's the arm holding up?"

"It's fine, I guess." He put a hand on Pidge's head. "Pidge tried to heal it up for me."

"You can do healing magic, too?" Shiro asked.

Pidge shook her head. "Nah. I normally use potions and ointments to fix myself up. I just thought I'd try something new. It didn't work, anyway."

Shiro faced Hunk again. "What did you tell Haggar?"

"Eh, I told her there was an accident on my way to her house," Hunk answered. He lifted his arm up. "Haggar didn't seem worried, though. She was more concerned about whether or not I'd still be able to do my job. And she didn't even ask Pidge why her dress was torn up." He turned to her for a moment. "Sorry, I know I was supposed to bring you a new dress, but I haven't been able to lately."

"It's fine," Pidge said. "I don't really need a new dress right now." She crumpled up a torn piece of her skirt.

Hunk, not wanting to embarrass her, changed the subject back to him as he addressed Shiro again. "I can still do the basic stuff, but it is difficult getting around." He pulled out a tray of sandwiches. "I haven't been able to do complicated cooking lately."

"We should have those after we test out the orb of truth," Pidge suggested. 

Everyone agreed. Keith took out the Altean flowers, placing them on the floor. Pidge held her orb out, concentrating her focus on the flowers. The flowers rose up, energy coming out of them. One by one, the appearance melted off, the flowers being revealed to be weeds. The last one, too, was a weed. Everyone was disappointed. Not one of them was the Altean flower. They all sighed. 

"Well great," Keith complained. "We wasted all this time picking weeds." He paced back and forth. "What do we do now? We can't keep bringing Altean looking flowers."

"We have to," Shiro said. "I have to break this curse. Especially now that Haggar is making her move."

"Maybe we should split up," Lance suggested. "One group can look through one half of the forest, and the other group will search through the other half."

"Captain, with all due respect, I don't think it's wise to have his majesty go out," Keith said. "For now anyway. For the time being, one group should search through the forest, the other group should stay here."

"Aw, but I wanted to go down again," Pidge pouted.

"Sorry, Pidge, but I think Keith is right," Hunk said. "Although, I don't think you should be here with Shiro alone."

"Then I'll stay," Keith said. "You and the Captain can go on ahead."

Lance glanced at Keith angrily before realizing something.

"Hey, if I go with Hunk, then...," his face lit up, "I get to go on the hair lift!"

Everyone groaned.

Pidge reluctantly set her hair lift to carry two people. She was even more cautious as she set Hunk and Lance down below.

* * *

Pidge grabbed one of the sandwiches and started eating. She sat next to Keith.

"So, how come you're calling him Captain now?" she asked with her mouth full.

Keith was standing near the window, overlooking the forest.

"Hm? Well, that's his title," Keith pointed out. "Of course I'd refer to him by that."

Pidge and Shiro eyed one another.

"You know, Keith, it's okay to talk about it," Shiro said.

"What's there to talk about, your highness?"

"Keith, I know something happened between you and Lance. Even when he got his title, you've never spoken to him so formally before."

"Well, he said I don't respect him. If he felt I didn't respect him so much, then it would make sense to be formal with him." Keith leaned forward, his chin resting on his palm. "Of course, if he wouldn't have me guess what's been bugging him, we could probably fix whatever's broken," Keith muttered to himself.

Pidge and Shiro shrugged, unsure of what to do. Rover hovered around Shiro's bag, noticing something moving inside. 

"Hm?" Shiro opened up his bag. "There's not much in here except," before he could finish that sentence, four little, oddly colored mice came crawling out of the bag. They made their way around the room, sitting atop the table. Shiro and Keith were surprised, Pidge looking at them in curiosity.

"Wow, I didn't know you had pet mice," Pidge petted one of them with her finger.

"They...aren't mine," Shiro clarified.

"What are the mice doing here?" Keith asked. 

Rover got a closer at them, the mice squeaking in fear over the pyramid with an eyeball. Pidge laughed.

"It's okay, little mice," she said. "Rover isn't scary."

A realization dawned on Shiro. "I have a feeling I know why they're here."

Pidge and Keith looked at him for the answer.

"Allura must have sent them," Shiro figured. 

"Why would Lady Allura send them?" Pidge asked.

"Because the Captain thought it was a brilliant idea to tell her that we were seeing Haggar's underlings," Keith answered, an unamused look on his face.

"You told them about me?" Pidge asked. "They know I'm her ward?"

Shiro covered her mouth. "Sorry, but yes. Lance didn't give them your names or describe you guys. Although, now that the mice are here, she'll probably find out," Shiro removed his hand. "Just, be careful with what you say around them."

"Why would he do that? Do you not trust us?"

"It's not that," Shiro tried to assure. "It's just, with Haggar making her move, Lance thought it would be best to be honest with her. I'm sorry, but..." 

Pidge shook her head. "It's fine. I did say we needed to be more honest with one another. And if Lady Allura and Sir Coran are helping you break your curse, then it's only fair that they know. Right?"

Shiro nodded. "Right. I'm grateful for your understanding."

Pidge smiled. She broke apart her sandwich into tiny pieces. "Are you guys hungry?"

The mice grabbed the pieces and started nibbling on them. Rover looked at them, Pidge nudging forward for him to join their company. He settled in next to them, the mice pausing for a moment to give him attention before resuming their meal. Rover looked up at Pidge, glowing brightly and Pidge nodded. 

"Are these Altean mice?" she asked. "They don't look like any mice I've read about or seen pictures of."

"Yeah," Shiro answered. "They emerged when Allura and Coran woke up. We don't know how long they were in that temple for, but they seemed to be very fond of Allura as they followed her when she left."

"Are they her familiars?"

Shiro looked at them. "Hm...you know, I'm not really sure. I should probably ask her."

Pidge poured a saucer with water and placed it on the table. The mice huddled around the saucer and started sipping up the liquid. 

"Can they do tricks?"

"Pidge, they're not a circus," Keith said. "They can't-"

The mice stopped drinking and grabbed a strand of Pidge's hair. Two of them were on opposite ends. The smallest got on top of the strand while the largest rested its body on the table. The two mice that were holding the strand swung the hair up and down, the smallest doing flips in the air. This kept going on for a few spins until it landed on the largest one's stomach safely. Pidge clapped her hands. 

"That was great!"

Keith sighed but followed that up with a smile. "I gotta admit, you guys have your perks."

The mice all stood in line and bowed. Shiro opened his bag, and surprised to find that the flowers he had taken the other day were still alive. He took them out, lying them on the table. He tapped on a seat next to him. 

"C'mon, Pidge, I'm gonna show you how to make a flower crown."

Keith scoffed. "Isn't there a better way to pass the time?"

"What, you don't like flower crowns?"

"It's not that. It just seems kinda silly."

Shiro grinned. "Oh, I see how it is. Keith, I order you to join us."

"What?"

"You heard me."

Pidge chuckled. Keith reluctantly grabbed a bunch of flowers as he awaited the prince's next order.

 

The three of them spent the afternoon cutting off the leaves of the flowers and braiding them together. Shiro showed each step to Pidge and Keith, leaving room for them to ask questions. Every now and then, Pidge or Keith would mess up, but Shiro would help them perform the step again. When they were done, there were three brightly colored flower crowns. Shiro placed the one he made on Pidge's head. 

"There," he told her. "Now, nature will know not to mess with you."

Pidge giggled. She placed one on his head. "And now your people will realize how lovely of a prince they have."

Keith turned around, sticking his tongue out on disgust. Pidge tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Don't you want to put yours on?"

"No, I'm good," Keith said with his hands up. 

Pidge and Shiro eyed one another, Shiro shifting his arm into a lasso and tying Keith up.

"Hey, what are you-?!"

Pidge put his flower crown on his head. Shiro let him go as he and Pidge looked on at him in admiration.

"You look so cute!" Pidge said.

Keith crossed his arms. "I am not cute! I am a warrior, the prince's personal bodyguard. I am not-," he spotted himself in the mirror. He checked himself out, lifting his head and turning his head around. "Huh, I guess I don't look bad after all."

The mice squeaked in agreement. Pidge looked at herself in the mirror. The brightness of the flowers against her plain colored hair made her happy. Rover gleamed in how pretty she looked. Shiro stood behind her.

"You look very pretty, Pidge," he said.

Pidge blushed. "You look pretty, too." She interlocked her fingers with his. 

Keith sat back down on the chair. "You two seem to be enjoying each other's company." 

"Is it bothering you?" Shiro asked.

"As long as neither of you gets into trouble, I don't really care," Keith took out his mother's blade, fiddling with it. "If anything, I'm actually happy you guys are having a better love life than the Captain's."

"Oh, because you keep calling him Captain?" Pidge asked.

Keith's face turned red. "What does me calling the Captain by his title have to do with his love life?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Keith pouted. "Tch, he's the one that wanted me to treat him with more respect. If he doesn't like it, it's his own fault."

Shiro sat next to Keith. "Did you two get into a fight?"

Keith sighed. "I think. I don't know. He just blew up on me after the meeting with Lady Allura and Sir Coran. I was upset, too, but he made me realize that he was right. And then, I don't know, he just sort of went off about how he knows how I feel and I guess he's the reason?" Keith shrugged his shoulders. "He honestly left me in a loop. I thought maybe he didn't like that I kept calling him by his first name."

Shiro transformed his arm into a map.

"Keith, take a look at this map."

Keith looked at it, Pidge also doing the same.

"It's Garrison."

"Exactly. And do you see how Garrison is made up of all this regions."

"Yeah."

"Well, my duty as future ruler of this kingdom is to make sure that all of these regions get along and function together as a unified kingdom. But I don't limit myself to just politics." He looked up at Keith. "I want my people to get along as well. The best way I've found for any relationship to work is communication. If you have good communication, everything will be in balance. Otherwise," he retracted the map, "it falls apart. So, maybe the best thing you and Lance can do is talk about what's going on."

"Yeah, like Lance'll ever listen. He talks about how I don't respect him and he's the one picking fights with me."

"Everyone has a different communication style. You just need to find one that'll work for both of you."

Keith pondered for a bit before getting an idea. "Thanks, your highness."

The mice scurried to the windowsill, squeaking for the others attention. Keith, Shiro, and Pidge looked out to see that Lance and Hunk had returned. Pidge set up her hair lift. When Hunk and Lance got on, Shiro put his hands on her hair.

"Let me raise them up," he offered.

"Thank you." This was the first time Shiro had been the one to handle her hair. Pidge was amazed at his strength of being able to pull up two fully grown men. She still remembered how difficult it was the first time three men had climbed her hair. She nearly felt embarrassed now that Shiro was pulling Lance and Hunk up with ease. 

When they got up, Hunk screeched at the funny looking mice while Lance groaned.

"Pidge, were you experimenting on animals?!" Hunk asked terrified.

"No, she didn't," Lance said. "These stowaways," Lance emphasized, "are Princess Allura's. And they're here to spy on us no doubt."

One of the mice stuck its tongue out at Lance. Hunk took out the Altean flowers for them to test out. Much like the last batch, Pidge's orb of truth revealed them to be weeds. Everyone sighed. 

"Alright, I guess we should all start looking next time," Hunk admitted. "For now, though, you guys should head back. It'll be getting dark soon."

Lance tugged Pidge's hair. "Woo-hoo, another ride on the lift!"

Pidge pulled her hair, causing Lance to fall. "Not gonna happen."

* * *

Allura paced back and forth, the mice on the table gazing at her while Shiro was standing before her by himself. Allura stopped pacing. 

"So," Allura said in a striking tone, "you mean to tell me that there's a human girl who is Witch Haggar's ward that is stuck in a tower," Shiro gulped before Allura changed her tone to be one of excitement, "and you didn't tell me about it?!"

Shiro was confused. "Y-yes," he scratched the back of his head. "Allura, you seem awfully excited about this."

Allura clasped her hands together. "Of course I'm excited. Don't you see? If we can find a way to get that girl here, then I could be her mentor! I've always wanted a student."

"I'm surprised you aren't concerned about her role."

Allura sighed. "Truth be told, it does concern me. If you had told me about her when you first met her, I would have been suspicious. However, I can see that she and that other underling you met have been aiding you in your quest. I'd imagine if they wanted to harm you, they would have done so already. I am certain that they will be great allies to us." She opened her palms up for the mice to hop on. "In the meantime, I have to do a little shopping."

"Shopping?"

"The mice have told me that she's in desperate need of a new dress. So, as a way to commemorate our alliance, I thought I'd look for a dress that would be perfect for her."

"But, Allura, you don't even know her size."

"The mice told me." She paused before taking another step. "Oh, and I'll see if I can create a healing potion that can fix up that boy's arm."

As she left, Shiro was left in confusion and amazement. He didn't expect Allura to be so open to the idea of trusting Haggar's underlings. He was glad, though, as it meant that there were no further issues with seeing Pidge. 

 

When he went to his room, he pulled out the flower crown Pidge had made for him. He placed it on his head. Shiro thought he looked silly. And yet, it was because of that silly look that he was able to see himself without thinking of how dangerous he was. He wondered if she had put on her crown, too.


	13. Peace of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge struggles to get the teleportation spell right. She gets a little help from Prince Shiro who puts her mind at ease.

When Shiro, Keith, and Lance returned to the tower again, they brought gifts with them. Hunk and Pidge were pleasantly surprised at this. Keith handed Hunk a powdery substance.

"Lady Allura said this should help heal your arm up," Keith told him. "Just put it in water, and when you drink it, your arm should go back to normal."

"Wow, magical tea that won't turn me into something weird," Hunk commented as he poured himself a glass of water.

Shiro held a package for Pidge. He scratched his face awkwardly.

"Um...Lady Allura wanted you to have this," he said. "The mice sort of gave her a hint as to what you needed and..."

Pidge opened the package up and unraveled a light, green dress. She held it in front of her, noticing that it was shorter than the dress she was currently wearing. However, a pair of solid green tights fell from the dress, indicating that it was a part of the outfit. Pidge smiled. 

"Tell her I said thank you," she said. "I'll be right out!" Pidge hurried into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. 

Hunk mixed the powder with water and drank the healing potion. Once he was finished, he felt his arm being able to move around with more ease. It still ached, but it was far from being broken now. 

"My compliments to the witch," Hunk said, bending his arm. "Who wants to challenge me to arm wrestling?!" Hunk turned to Shiro. "How about it, Shiro?"

Shiro grinned. "Nah, I wouldn't want to break your arm again."

Hunk held his arm out. "Oh ho. You think you will, do you? Not this time!"

The two sat in front of each other at the table. Keith and Lance cheered on their prince, who used his prosthetic arm to challenge Hunk. Although Hunk was close in making Shiro fold, Shiro ultimately ended up winning the challenge. 

"Heh, you only won because of that fake arm," Hunk said. He switched over to his left arm. "Best two out of three?"

"You're on."

Hunk and Shiro's next battle was a struggle on both sides. Shiro was having a bit of trouble handling Hunk's grip while Hunk was fighting against Shiro's strength. Hunk was able to win the second round, but he lost the third one. Shiro gave Hunk a thumb's up.

"Good job," he told him. "I don't think I've struggled against someone in arm wrestling in a long time."

Hunk smiled back at him. "You're pretty strong, even without that fake arm."

"Thanks."

The guys didn't hear the bathroom door creak open. Rover flew over to it, awaiting for Pidge to come out. She peered through the door, smiling at the boys' getting along. Rover kept glowing, urging her to come out. 

"Okay, okay," she told him softly. "We don't need to make a big deal out of it."

Pidge stepped out of the bathroom in her new, green dress. The dress went up to her knees, the black tights covering her legs. The skirt of the dress was more fluffy compared to her old, purple dress, which allowed her more leg room to move around. Shiro noticed her outfit and he stared at her in awe. 

"Pidge," he said, "you look-"

"Oh, Pidge, you look amazing!" Hunk interrupted with his own thoughts. He lifted Pidge up, swinging her around, Pidge laughing all the while. 

"Hunk! Stop!" Pidge cried out as she laughed. 

"I can't. You look so good," Hunk said. 

"Thank you," she said. She looked up at Shiro. "What were you going to say?"

The others turned to Shiro. He composed himself. "I was just going to say that you look very lovely." He bowed on one knee, grabbed her hand, and kissed it. 

Hunk was taken aback, Lance had a huge grin across his face, and Keith pulled his mask over his face. Pidge smiled. She removed her hand from his and bowed herself. 

"Your words are much appreciated, good sir," she told him as she lifted the dress from its sides. She grabbed the orb of truth and her spell book. "Now, let's head out and find that Altean flower!"

 

Before they headed out into the forest, Hunk carried Pidge's hair. 

"Hold up," he said. "We need to do something about your hair. I don't want us to keep washing it everytime you step outside of your tower."

Pidge rubbed her hair. "Hm...I suppose you're right. But I don't think I have an invention to make my hair more manageable." Some of the hair was falling out of Hunk's arms. "And I don't think we have time to style it up."

Shiro transformed his arm into a hair braider machine. "Mind if I give it a try?"

Hunk helped Shiro with braiding Pidge's hair. Keith and Lance were amazed to see how quickly Prince Shiro was able to braid her hair as it only took a matter of minutes for it all to get braided. Although her hair still looked long, it was condensed in size and length to allow her to walk without it getting dragged and soiled. 

"Wow, your highness, I had no idea you were such a great stylist," Lance said.

"You could do a lot with that arm of yours," Keith added.

"Yeah, like maybe give you a hair cut," Prince Shiro ruffled Keith's hair. Everyone laughed and headed forward into the forest.

* * *

This time around, the group was having a difficult time finding anything that resembled the Altean flower. After a few hours, the group decided to rest for a bit. Pidge took out her spell book, turning the pages to the teleportation spell. She moved away from the group, preferring to practice her spell alone. She picked up a pebble and held it out in her palm. Pidge took a deep breath and repeated the spell from her book.

As she was speaking, the pebble was lifted up from her palm. There was an aura that glowed around it. As Pidge finished the spell, the pebble flung itself to hit Lance's head.

"Hey!" Lance shouted. "What was that for?"

Pidge slammed her book shut. "Oh, sorry, Lance. That was an accident."

She moved farther away, facing a different way from them. She picked up another pebble. When she read the spell again, the pebble ended up heating up on her palm. She was quick to throw it away. Pidge shook her hand, grateful that the mark wasn't very big. She tried it again, this time on a mushroom. However, the mushroom grew wings and flew away. Pidge kept repeating the spell against her surroundings. When she tried it on a tree, the tree ended up taking its roots out. The guys nearby saw this and were prepared for a fight before Pidge turned the pages and read another spell that paralyzed the tree and caused it to fall over. 

Not being able to face them, she ran off and hid behind another tree. Pidge hit the book against her head.

"Ugh," she moaned. "Why can't I get this stupid spell right?"

"Something wrong?" Shiro asked from behind.

This scared Pidge, causing her to jump. "Ah! Shiro. Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong? Just doing some light reading," she held the book up, "you know, all that good stuff. I mean, I guess it's not all good, there's some stuff in here that isn't very nice, and we are in a situation where we haven't found the flower. I mean, not we're not trying, we are trying, um....maybe we should go back to looking."

Before she could head back with the others, Shiro placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hold up." He turned her around. "Is there something you're trying to do?"

Pidge sighed. "Yeah," she rubbed her arm. "I've been practicing a teleportation spell."

"Teleportation spell?"

Pidge nodded. "I've never tried before because of how advanced it is. Well, advanced for humans anyway. Natural-born magic users can teleport with ease. For me, though, I can't even make a tiny pebble go wherever I want it to go."

Shiro looked back at Lance. "No wonder Lance got hit in the head. You could have fooled me with that." 

Pidge sighed. "At this rate, I'll be lucky if I can even go anywhere without setting myself on fire."

Shiro looked down at her book and thought about her difficult situation. "Why don't we try something after we continue searching for the flower?"

Pidge raised an eyebrow. "Try what?"

"Something that might help you with practicing your spell."

 

After spending a few more hours searching for another flower to no avail, they reconvened back at the tower. Hunk discussed with Keith and Lance about areas that had yet to be explored and planned ahead for next time. In the meantime, Shiro took Pidge away from them so that he could show her what he wanted to teach her. He sat cross-legged on the grass. 

"Go on, sit down," he told her.

"Do I have to be seated exactly like you?" she asked.

"Whatever makes you comfortable."

Pidge copied Shiro. 

"You comfortable?" he asked.

"Yeah." She clutched on to her orb and book. 

Shiro pointed to the ground. "Set those aside. No one's going to steal them."

Pidge looked down at them. "But what if I need them?"

"You won't."

Pidge scratched her head. She didn't get where Shiro was coming from. If he was going to teach her how to improve her spell casting, it would make sense for her to have the book out. Still, she figured he must know something and so set those items to the side. 

"The first few months of receiving this curse, I was more susceptible to getting overtaken by it," Shiro explained. "But what I'm about to teach you is what helped me have more control over it. The more often I did this, the easier it had gotten for me to keep my curse in check. I didn't go berserk as much as I used to."

"So, what did you do?"

"I meditated."

"Meditated?" Pidge shook her head. "Shiro, no offence, but I don't see how meditating will be helpful in my spell casting."

Shiro reached for her hands, placing them on his. 

"It will," he said. "We'll meditate together. Okay?"

Pidge still wasn't sure if it would work. But, she relented and looked to him for the next step.

"Alright, now what I want you to do is close your eyes and dismiss everything around you."

"What if something happens?"

Shiro rubbed his thumbs on her. "Nothing will. And if something does, I'll be here."

Pidge closed her eyes. 

"Now, visualize what's really troubling you. You don't have to say it out loud if you don't want to. Just picture it."

Pidge thought about what had bugged her. She saw herself in the reflection of a mirror. Behind her was Haggar. Pidge turned around, seeing blurry figures handing a baby over to Haggar, smiling when the baby was out of their hands. Then she saw herself back in her room. The window to the outside world gone. She could see herself in the room with the bodies of Hunk, Keith, and Lance lying on the floor. She tried to move them, but they weren't breathing. Then she saw her hands holding one of her inventions that had blood on it. She dropped the weapon. Haggar loomed over her, calling her pathetic before disappearing. Pidge walked back, calling out to someone before she bumped into something. Someone. Her beloved Shiro. Lost to the curse, his eyes glowing yellow, his fangs, his claws. He didn't attack her. Instead, he looked down at his fake arm and stared back at her in a disappointing manner. Finally, he said, "You....you.....," and as she stumbled back, falling on her hair, he hit the wall and said, "You made me a monster! Everyone hates me because of you!" He pointed a finger at her. Pidge tried to tell Shiro that she had no idea, but he spit in her face. 

Shiro felt her hands trembling. He squeezed them. 

"It's okay," he told her. "If you can see your troubles, you can see yourself in a better place. Recognizing the problem is the first step to finding a solution."

"But, Shiro, what if these problems can't be solved so easily?"

"They don't have to be solved. Not right now. You just need to see yourself overcoming them and reaching peace."

Pidge took a deep breath. She saw herself rising up, walking away from her troubles. They lingered behind her, but she didn't look back. Her tower turned into a spacious room. Or rather, it turned into an observatory. It was a dome-like place, filled with inventions and the ceiling was made up of the night sky with all sorts of dancing constellations. She reached her hand to the top, a star falling down and hovering around her. There was a telescope that she looked through and she could see all the planets close up, even planets she had never heard of. And then, when she turned around, Shiro was there, smiling at her. He held his hand out to her and she reached for it. The two began to dance and fly with the stars. 

Pidge's body was relaxed. When she opened her eyes, she felt as if she had woken up from a wonderful dream. Shiro looked at her with care.

"How do you feel?" he asked. 

"Oddly enough, better," she replied, squeezing his hands. 

"Would you like to try the spell again?"

Pidge let go of his hands, reaching for her book. She pulled out a dandelion from the ground. She read the incantation, getting a clearer image of where she wanted it to go. After reading it, the dandelion vanished from her hand and teleported to the pocket of Hunk's vest. Keith, Lance, and Hunk were surprised at the sudden appearance of the dandelion. Hunk pulled it out in confusion. Pidge smiled. She ran up to them.

"I teleported it!" she screamed. 

"You did?!" Hunk shouted in excitement. He picked her up, twirling her around like he did earlier. "Pidge, that's amazing!"

"I know, right?!" 

Hunk put her down, Keith and Lance placing their hands on her shoulders.

"That's pretty impressive," Lance said. 

"You've been practicing that all day?" Keith asked.

Pidge nodded. She looked at Shiro who was also smiling.

"Thank you," she said. "I know I still need to practice this spell some more before I can try it on myself, but you've helped me take that first step in getting it right."

"You'll get there," Shiro told her. "If anyone can master a difficult spell, it's you."

 

When Shiro took her back to the top of the tower, he was about to help her undo her hair so that the others can come up. Before doing so, Pidge stopped him.

"Wait, I didn't thank you properly earlier."

"What are you talking about? A thank you is more than enough."

"Not for me. Could you come a little closer?"

Shiro crouched down. Pidge got on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek. Shiro blushed.

"I really owe it to you," Pidge said as she untangled her hair.

Shiro placed a hand on the cheek she kissed. He smiled and then leaned in close to her ear, tucking one of her hairs away.

"I love you so much."

"I know. Now help me undo your marvelous work, please."


	14. Subject of a Quest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems as though the search for the flower has come to an end. However, there is the matter of actually getting it without leaving a trace behind.

At the edge of the forest stood a young man. He stood there, looking into the woods. He held a piece of paper, a list. A list that had been written years ago. He adjusted his circular-shaped glasses, almost as if he believed if his eyesight were better then he would see her. 

"Katie," he said. "I know it's been a while since I last stopped by. I know I shouldn't be here. Dad and I have come inside before, searching for you. Mom came along, too. But, I know you're in there. And I won't stop searching for you." He held his list. "I don't know if I'll be able to teach you anything on here anymore. I don't know what Witch Haggar has taught you. How she's raised you," he read what he had written silently, folding the list up when he was done. He placed his hand on a tree. "I'll find you, little sister. Even if I can't teach you what I had wanted, I can tell you about us. We can take as much time in the world getting to know each other." He chuckled. "I know you'd love Gunther. He's a pretty tame dog, so he won't scare you. But he's also loyal and brave; he'd protect you from harm. When we meet again, I hope you'll forgive me. I'll do everything to make it up to you." He let his hand drop. "I should be going. We're only back in our old hometown for a short visit. Dad got a job at the castle, working as a royal scientist. I've been working to become one, too, but I need to pass the test first. With both of us working there, we should get closer to perfecting a tracker. Wish me luck." Before he left, he took one last look back. "I know you can't hear me, but your big brother Matt will never stop searching for you."

* * *

The search for the Altean flower continued. Hunk guided the group to a desolate part of the forest. The area was barren, barely any plant life growing. There weren't even many weeds around them. 

"Hunk, why are you taking us here?" Keith asked. "There's no way the flower will be here. Everything's dead."

"Yeah," Lance added. "Are we that desperate that we'd search in places it obviously won't be in."

Hunk squatted down, putting his hand on top of the hard surfaced dirt. He dug his fingers into the ground, and when he scooped up the dirt, green worms were seen wiggling in the soil.

"Everything might not be dead," Hunk said. He stood up, holding the dirt out for the group to see. 

"Those are just worms," Keith pointed out. "I don't think they'll be sufficient as a replacement."

"They're not supposed to be a replacement," Hunk said. "It's not common for these worms to be anywhere near barren areas. Which is why I'm thinking that Madame Haggar might have enchanted not only the flower, but its location. Pidge, hold your orb out."

Pidge held her orb high and the area surrounding them glowed as the aura was lifted. From the lifted aura, the barren land vanished and turned into a green-filled patch of land that had a variety of flowers and plants within it. Everyone was amazed by how luscious the land really was, how colorful it had become. And at the very edge of this land was a light pink flower with golden tips. The only one of its kind present. 

"It's here!" Lance said enthusiastically. Keith sprinted ahead, taking a shovel out to begin digging. 

"Wait!" Hunk cried out. 

"What?" Keith asked. "That has to be the Altean flower. Don't tell me it isn't."

"Well, we should still make sure," Hunk explained, "but we need to be cautious when taking it."

"Why?"

Hunk looked around before continuing. "If this area was enchanted, then Madame Haggar must not want anyone to find it. Think about it. It could be dangerous if you take it. And even more dangerous if she finds out we're the ones who took it."

"Hunk's right," Shiro said. "And since the enchantment here was removed, we'll also need a spell to make it look like it was never disturbed in the first place."

Keith groaned, putting his shovel away furiously. 

"Hey, wait, couldn't the spell be easily broken if someone stumbled upon this area and just happened to feel the flower within their grasp?" Lance asked.

"That's not how it works," Hunk said. 

"This is one of the higher levels of the cloaking spell," Pidge explained. "The surface area is supposed to not only look like another territory, but feel like one as well. The only way to tell that it's a disguise is if you dig underneath it and find something off about it." Pidge picked up one of the worms. "Like these worms. And even then that doesn't break the spell. You still wouldn't feel what's really above." Pidge tossed the worm back.

"Then how are we supposed to make it look like we were never here?" Lance asked.

Hunk took out a bag. "With this." He opened the bag up to reveal glittering sand inside. "Madame Haggar has this sand of time that allows for any place to look like something that was once there. From what I can remember, the illusion is based on whatever it is that the person wants to remember. So, we sprinkle this around the area and poof, she'll think no one broke her spell."

Shiro smiled. "We greatly appreciate the help, Hunk. I promise when all of this is over, I will reward you greatly."

"We can worry about that later. First, we need to find out if that really is the Altean flower."

The group circled the flower. It had a radiance that surrounded it. The group needed this to be the flower they seeked. Pidge held the orb out again. Unlike the previous times she had done so, this flower retained its appearance. 

"Well, we know that this is its true form," Pidge said. "Is there any other way to tell for sure if it is this flower?"

Prince Shiro, Lance, and Keith all eyed one another. There was a way, but it scared them to try it out. Keith pulled out some matches from his pocket. He lit one of them up.

"Keith, what are you doing?!" Pidge asked.

"Stand back," Keith instructed. He surrounded the tiny flame with his hand. "If this is the Altean flower, then it won't burn." He placed the flame under the tip of one of the petals. Fire engulfed the flower, but it did not change its state. The flower kept its color and its form. It did not burn. 

Keith blew out the flame. The flower remained in place. Everyone cheered, all of them raising a fist in the air.

"We did it!" Lance shouted. 

"Good work, team!" Shiro congratulated. 

The smiles on their faces would not leave. It was a momentous occassion for them all. It was a sign of hope. Lance ended up pulling Keith into an embrace. He didn't realize what he had done until he saw Keith's red face. Lance pushed him away, although the two of them would be enveloped in Hunk's arms. Shiro picked Pidge up, hugging her. Pidge looked up at him.

"You can finally be free from your curse," she said. 

Shiro put his hand on her braid. "I won't be a threat to anyone again."

"You were never a threat to me."

He shook his head. The two kissed. Shiro brought Pidge down. 

"So, does this mean I can start digging it out?" Keith asked.

Before Shiro could give his answer, there was rumbling on the ground.

 

Out from the ground emerged a purple-scaled snake. Its body was in front of the flower, and it opened its jaw to reveal its wide and fanged mouth. It went straight into the group, although they dispersed as it attacked. 

"What is that thing?!" Lance asked.

"A ground snake," Hunk answered. "The last time I saw them, Madame Haggar had them in a cage. She must have put one underneath the flower in case someone managed to break the spell."

"Figures getting the flower wouldn't be this easy," Keith complained before dodging a head-on attack from the snake.

Everyone backed up, spreading as far away from each other as possible. Pidge reached into her bag to pull out her thermos. She opened the lid and then closed it again. She adjusted the settings on it before waiting a moment. 

"Pidge, now is not the time to be playing with your gadgets," Lance said.

"I'm not playing with it," she replied. "Just watch."

She aimed the thermos in front of the snake. When she opened the lid, a gush of ice came shooting out of the thermos. It engulfed the snake's upper body, freezing it in place. The snake was contained in a block of ice.

"Woo-hoo, I knew you could do it!" Lance exclaimed.

"Sure you did," Pidge said. "But lets not get too excited. I don't know how long this will last for."

"Then we should get the flower quickly," Keith said.

"No," Shiro said. "We don't know if there's another one of those snakes underneath. Or if there's another guard. We need to plan our next move carefully."

Shiro's arm glowed as he moved from his spot. He took careful steps and eyed his surroundings. He transformed his arm into a fishing rod, throwing the line in the vicinity of the flower. Nothing caught it. As he reeled the end back in, a tail emerged from the ground. The end of the rod was brought back to Shiro, who shifted it back into his arm. The tail of the snake curled up the block of ice, melting it away and causing the snake to emerge again.

The snake slithered back into the ground. Keith, Lance, and Shiro retreated into some trees. Keith pulled Hunk up on to his tree while Pidge tried to climb another but was unsuccessful. She held her thermos out, aiming it in every direction the snake could possibly emerge from.

"Pidge, run," Shiro warned. "You're gonna get hurt."

"No," Pidge responded. "You need that flower. If I can get this snake to have its entire body come out, then I can freeze it and you can get that flower."

"Pidge, I am not risking your safety for this."

"But you have to! We don't know when you'll be able to get it."

"Pidge, please!"

"No!"

The snake's tail popped up behind Pidge, holding her up from her ankle. Pidge nearly dropped her thermos, but was able to catch it. She froze the tail, causing her to fall down. The head of the snake then came out, and she froze its head. As she surveyed the area, the torso of the snake emerged, causing Pidge to fly into the air. Shiro turned his arm into a net and caught her. Lance hopped off of the tree he was on and took his sword out. He swung the sword down on the snake's torso, but the sword ended up breaking in half. 

"What the?"

The snake broke its tail free from the block of ice and started attacking Lance. 

"Lance!" Keith shouted. He went down and threw is own blades at the creature, only for them to be deflected.

Hunk came down, grabbing the tail. He attempted to bring the snake's entire body out, managing to get most of it out of the ground. Unfortunately, the snake wrapped its tail around him and threw him. The snake once again broke free from the ice, slithering back into the ground.

Keith helped Lance back up. The two of them looked to Prince Shiro, who came down from his tree. Everyone regrouped.

"We need that snake to come out," Pidge said. "There has to be a way we can get its entire body out of the underground."

"Well, is there anything that'll attract it to come out?" Keith asked.

"There's us," Shiro answered. Everyone looked at him. "Sorry, trying to lighten the mood." He looked at his arm. "Although...."

"Prince Shiro, no," Lance said. "As Captain and personal bodyguard, we can't allow you to put yourself in danger."

"Haven't I been putting myself in danger just by coming to this forest?"

Keith and Lance exchanged worried looks.

"Your highness, maybe Lance or I could be the ones to lure the snake out."

"With what? Your weapons are weak against it. My arm won't break so easily." He placed a hand on Keith and Lance's shoulders. "Look, I understand your concerns, but if Pidge can freeze the snake in time, then we won't have to worry about me going berserk. Okay?"

They reluctantly agreed. Shiro transformed his arm into a drill and cut a hole into the ground. The drill shifted again, this time into a pipe. Pidge readied her thermos, Keith, Lance, and Hunk getting into their battle stances. Shiro's body was pulled into the ground. 

"Prince Shiro!" Keith and Lance called out.

"Wait for it," Shiro said as he struggled to remain on the surface. He shifted his arm into a net. The snake re-emerged, tossing Shiro side to side. Shiro remained in control as the snake revealed more and more of its body. Shiro swung himself on to the snake's neck. The snake kept revealing more and more of its long body. Hunk, unable to wait any longer, grabbed the end of the snake and pulled the rest of its body out, tossing it up. Shiro turned the net back into an arm and jumped off. "Now, Pidge!"

Pidge blasted the snake with her thermos, this time freezing its entire body up. It was now a block of ice, although there was still signs of it alive with the shifting of its eyes. Shiro fell hard into the ground, rolling down as he landed. Pidge was about to check up on him, but Lance kept her back.

"Wait," he said. 

Keith got closer to Prince Shiro. The prince struggled to get up, although there was another struggle that was more prominent. Shiro's body tingled, his hands morphing into claws. He tried to breathe. 

"Keith," Shiro said.

"Prince Shiro, it's fine," Keith tried to assure him as he slowly approached him. "It's only me. Your life is not in danger."

"Keith...," there was a throb in Shiro's head. "Keith, the tranquilizer. Hurry."

Keith reached into his pocket and pulled out a dart. He was about to inject it onto the prince only for the prince's curse to be activated. Shiro took on his alternate persona, using his arm as a trap to push Keith back and surround him in a pod. Lance hurried into the scene, pulling his darts out.

"Don't even try," the cursed Shiro warned. "Make any sudden moves and I'll crush him."

Lance looked at Keith. Keith urged Lance to throw the darts, but Lance had to think carefully on how to. Pidge opened the lid of her thermos and closed it up again.

"And what do you think you're doing, maiden?" Shiro asked. "If you think a drink will make me give up, you're wrong. Nothing can bring me down."

"Oh, then how about putting a stop to you?"

"Heh, you think you're real funny, don't you?"

"Yeah, I am pretty funny," Pidge smirked and unsealed the thermos and ice covered Shiro's body from his neck downward. Shiro let go of Keith, which allowed for Lance to throw his darts and render the prince unconscious.

 

While Prince Shiro was out of it, the rest of the group hurried and dug up the flower. The flower was carefully placed in a container that was brought along to carry it. After they were done, they looked at the snake. 

"We can't leave this thing the way it is," Hunk pointed out. "Otherwise, Madame Haggar will surely know someone took the Atlean flower, even with the time sand."

"We should free Prince Shiro first," Keith suggested. "If we can get the prince out of here, it'll be safer for you to make this place look like how it once did and then we'll be able to unfreeze the snake."

"Alright. Pidge, do remember how to set off a spark?"

"Yeah, I'll use that spell to melt the ice."

"Then let's unfreeze Shiro first."

Pidge spoke out the words of the spark spell, a spark popping up near Shiro's frozen feet. The heat of the spark was enough to begin melting the ice away. Shiro moved his head, regaining consciousness.

"Ugh....what happened? Why do I feel so numb?" Shiro looked down to see the rest of his body covered in ice, his feet barely getting heat to return to normal. "Agh!" Shiro turned his arm into a picket and chipped the ice off of him. He broke free, looking at the others. "I gave in, didn't I?"

No one answered. Shiro breathed out solemnly. He saw the container that had the flower.

"Well, hopefully that'll be the last time any of you have to see me like that," he said. "And the last time I hurt any of you."

"Shiro," Pidge grabbed his hand. "It's okay. We know it's not your fault." _It's my fault._

Shiro saw the thermos. He held her hand back. "Thank you, Pidge."

Once they were a safe distance away from the snake, Pidge repeated the spell. The spark landed on the snake's torso, the heat being enough for it to break free. It delved into the ground again, Hunk throwing the glittering sand all over the area. It began to look like the barren land it once appeared to be. 

* * *

 

When they reconvened at the tower, Rover kept flying around the room in excitement over their discovery. Lance held the container out for everyone to see. Shiro looked at everyone. 

"Now that we have the flower, it shouldn't be too long until I can take the curse-breaking potion," Shiro said. "I'd like to hold up my end of the bargain. Hunk, have you thought about what it is you'd like me to grant you?"

Hunk rubbed his chin. "Hm, you know I haven't really thought too much about it."

Pidge turned to him. "Hunk, what about being with Shay? You could ask Shiro to relocate the two of you so that you won't have to worry about Madame Haggar interrupting your lives."

"That's true. But...I don't want to leave you alone with her, either."

"You don't have to worry about that. I still have Rover. And I know how much you want your freedom. I shouldn't be holding you back on that."

Hunk got teary-eyed. Rover came over to him and nuzzled his cheek, Hunk holding Rover in return. "Pidge, Rover, why do you guys have to make these things difficult?"

Shiro put his hand on Pidge's. "Pidge, I know you said you wanted me to find you a way to enter and leave this tower whenever you want. I've been thinking, what if you left this place for good."

"Shiro..."

"You could live in Garrison. I could get you a room in the castle and you'd be free to explore the kingdom as you please."

Pidge moved her hand away from him. "I'm sorry, Shiro. But there is one vital thing you're forgetting: I'm Madame Haggar's successor. She'll hunt me down if I leave. And if she placed a curse on you just from stumbling into you, then who knows what she could do to everyone else."

Shiro let his shoulders fall. He held a piece of her hair, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. "Will you think about it? I could talk to Allura, she might be able to help us find a way."

Pidge thought about it. The forest was the only place she had ever known. She had been living in her tower for years and it was only recently did she get to touch the ground again. "Can I have some time to consider?"

Shiro lifted her chin gently. "Of course."

Lance looked out the window. "Sorry, lovebirds, but we need to get going. It'll be dark soon and we want to get this flower to Allura as quickly as possible."

Pidge stood and let her hair fall down the window. As usual, Keith and Lance climbed down before Prince Shiro. However, Shiro waited until the two were on the ground before he left. He put his hand on her cheek and looked at her and Hunk.

"I'll free you both. I promise." 

Rover stared at him.

"And you'll come along, too."

Rover blinked and nodded.

Shiro went down.

* * *

Allura and Coran basked in the brilliance of the Altean flower. They wept tears of joy, not only because they had at last found the central ingredient for the potion, but because it was as if they were given one last chance to look at a living remnant of Altea and say goodbye. She looked at Prince Shiro, Lance and Keith. 

"You three should be proud of yourselves," she said. "I'll get to making the potion right away."

"If I may ask, how long will that be Lady Allura?" Keith questioned.

"Well, seeing as the potion is supposed to be strong enough to break any curse, it shouldn't take more than a couple of days to brew it and get it ready," Coran answered. 

"We should have a celebration once your curse is broken," Allura suggested. "We could throw a party here in the castle."

"Yeah, I like the way you think, Princess," Lance said.

Shiro solemnly smiled. "That would be nice, but I think we should wait on that."

"What, why?" Allura asked.

"I, I have to figure something out," Shiro bowed, "Please excuse me." He left the room, leaving everyone to wonder what he had left to do. 

They assumed that he would be in his garden meditating, so they began work on brewing the potion.

 

A few hours later, Coran and Allura carried the pot with the potion inside to one of the labs inside the castle. They reserved a special lab to keep the potion safe and brewing. Lance was in front of the lab, speaking with the guards in front until he saw Allura and Coran.

"Ah, Princess, Sir Coran," Lance bowed. "The lab should be ready for you."

"Thank you, Lance," Allura said. 

One of the guards opened the door for them, only to find that the lab wasn't so desolate after all. Inside was an older man with rectangular glasses and a woman with extremely short hair. They froze up, bowing before the guards and court members.

"Greetings, Lady, Sir, and Captain" the man said.

"Forgive us, we did not know you would be here," the woman continued.

"Please, no need to apologize," Allura said. "Rise."

They did so. Lance recognized the man with rectangular glasses.

"Hey, aren't you that guy who applied to be a scientist here?" Lance asked.

"Why, yes I am, Captain, my Captain," the man replied. 

"Oh, it's you, Sam," Allura recognized.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Lance asked pointing at him.

Allura nodded. "He was the one who informed me of the missing animals." She turned to the woman. "And this must be your lovely wife."

The woman giggled, carrying the sides of her dress as she bowed. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madame. My name is Colleen."

"If I may ask, what are you two doing here?" Allura asked.

"Forgive us, I was just showing my wife a little something I've been working on. It wasn't anything confidential, I swear."

"Hm, mind showing us what it is then?" Coran asked.

Sam and Colleen looked at each other before moving away to reveal a mechanical bird. 

"Ooo, fancy," Coran said as he leaned closer to get a better look at the mechanical bird.

"What's it supposed to do? Sing until it breaks?" Lance asked.

Colleen stood next to Sam, holding his arm.

"Actually, Captain, this is a tracking mechanism," Sam explained. "My son was the one who came up with the blueprints for this bird, I simply proofread what was needed and put it together. We were hoping to present this to the prince and maybe have him allow us to use it."

"Use it for what?" 

Sam held Colleen's hand tight. "To find someone we once lost."

Allura bowed her head, clasping her hands. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find them soon."

"We hope so, too," Colleen replied.

"Well, if it's a missing person, I can send out a search team for them," Lance offered.

Colleen shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not easy to find her. We've searched for her for years, but...," Colleen couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence. 

Sam continued. "Sorry, we didn't mean to intrude on this place."

"That's quite alright," Coran said. "Don't worry about it my good scientist friend. Just know that this particular lab will need to be left alone for a few days. You can take your birdie with you if you'd like."

"Why, thank you, my good sir," Sam said before picking up the bird. "If you don't mind me asking, but if I could take the fall for my wife and I, that'd be great."

Allura shook her head. "You and Colleen are in no trouble at all, Samuel. We won't tell anyone you were in here."

"Thank you, my lady," Colleen said. 

"Please, allow me to escort you," Lance said. Before they left the hall, however, he faced the guards. "Princess Allura, Sir Coran, and Prince Shiro are the only ones allowed to enter this lab. Don't allow anyone else access here, you got it?"

"Yes, Captain," the guards responded as they resumed their posts.

Lance accompanied Samuel and Colleen out of the palace, although he gave them an unofficial tour of the castle with every corridor they passed through. 


	15. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While investigating monsters at the border of the forest, Prince Shiro pays Pidge a visit, leaving Pidge to get an idea. Meanwhile, Lance and Keith are alone which leaves them to face their real troubles.

Whilst the potion was brewing, Prince Shiro was in a meeting with Lance in Lance's office as they discussed the reports that had been coming in across the kingdom. It seemed as though there was an increase of missing animals, but there was another troubling aspect to add to it.

"Sire, there have been sightings of monsters lingering around the border of the forest and even in towns that are near the forest," Lance said, holding one of the reports up. "Whatever Haggar's planning is becoming more and more apparent."

Shiro flipped through some of the reports. "Hm....and have there been any attacks on the citizens?"

"That's the strange part," Lance answered, "unless a citizen was provoking one of these things, the monsters haven't been the first to attack." Lance set the report down. "I remember Hunk mentioning that Haggar was training creatures to attack. It doesn't make any sense as to why they aren't."

"It could be that these are different monsters," Shiro suggested. "They may not necessarily be under Haggar's control."

"I wish I could believe that," Lance opened a drawer and pulled out an old, dusty file. "But the last reported document of monsters leaving the forest was hundreds of years ago." He blew the dust off away from the prince. "If they weren't under Haggar's control, I'd imagine they wouldn't normally leave." Lance handed the prince the file.

Shiro opened it up, examining the sketch of the monster. The monster resembled some type of cat-like creature, with glowing eyes. The notes on the page stated that the eyes glowed yellow. Then he saw the claws of that cat-monster. There was something odd about the back leg of that creature. It looked different from the rest of the body. That's when he realized that this monster had a fake leg. Shiro's eyes widened.

"Prince Shiro, are you alright?" Lance asked.

"We have to investigate," Shiro said. 

"Understood, I'll send some troops-"

"By we, I mean you, me, and Keith."

Lance froze up. "Your majesty, with all due respect, I don't think we can risk going back there. Not right now anyway. Please, have me lead a troop to investigate."

Prince Shiro shook his head. "No." He set the file down. "I understand your concern, Captain. We only recently finished our quest. It's a lot to ask for you and Keith to return to that forest. But it must be done. No one besides us has any idea how that forest works. I can't have you sending soldiers and guards that have no experience with this."

"Then they can earn that experience. Please, your highness, I'm not thinking solely about myself and Keith. Your safety is the top priority for everyone."

"If you're afraid of me getting cursed," Prince Shiro lifted his arm. "Then you won't have to. The potion will be ready by then. If Witch Haggar wants to lay another curse on me, she can. In the meantime, we need to find out what's going on."

"But, your highness-"

"Lance," Prince Shiro looked him straight in the eye. "I need you. As my friend."

Lance sighed. "Yes, your majesty."

"I'll inform Keith of our new mission."

"And when will we head out?"

"As soon as possible, so start preparing your things."

* * *

Prince Shiro, Keith and Lance patrolled the border of the forest first. By the time they had finished going around, the sun was setting. They would not go home, however. Not until they spotted at least one creature leaving. Keith set up camp and a fire while Lance continued to patrol. Prince Shiro wondered if he could sense another that was like him. He didn't think Haggar would have placed a similar curse before. He felt sorry for the cat creature he read about. He wondered if the poor thing ever had its curse broken or died being consumed by it. The fire flickered, smoke rising to the top of the twilight sky. Lance returned. 

"Nothing yet," Lance reported. "Prince Shiro, what do we do if these things don't come out tonight?"

"They will," Prince Shiro answered. "If Witch Haggar is making her presence known more often, it's more likely one of those creatures will come out tonight."

Lance and Keith exchanged a worried look. Keith got up. 

"I'll take patrol next," Keith adjusted his belt. 

While Keith was away, Lance picked at the fire with a stick. Lance looked back at the forest. 

"Were you able to get that sword fixed?" Prince Shiro asked.

"Nah," Lance answered. "But it's alright. As Captain of the Guard, I'm well trained in weilding other weapons." He held his stick up. "Why, I bet I can even win a battle with just this stick." He playfully swung it around and Prince Shiro laughed. Lance carefully put the stick back down. "I just wish I had been more competent when I first saw the fake flower."

"Lance, you don't have to beat yourself up over this," Prince Shiro said.

"Why not? I'm your Captain of the Guard, I need to be more aware of these things," Lance said, picking at the fire again. "I bet if Keith had found it, he would have asked questions before jumping to conclusions."

"Keith? Asking questions before making conclusions?"

Lance chuckled. "I know. But before he dropped out of Guard training, he was getting there. And then he left me," Lance bit his tongue after he had said that last word. He had meant to say "training" but his heart wanted to pour out something else. 

"Lance, if there's something you want to tell Keith, you should talk to him."

Lance shifted his gaze away from the fire. "Pfft, Keith wouldn't understand. He probably thinks I don't get whatever it is he's going through."

Prince Shiro placed his hand on Lance's shoulder. "Let me ask you something: when people report something to you, do you disregard the report just because the one in trouble thinks you won't understand?"

"No, of course not. I take every report seriously."

"Then maybe you should try being open with Keith. He may not show it, but it's his job to care. Not just about me, but about everyone close by. You two may not always get along, but you can overcome your obstacles if you work them out together."

Before Lance could respond back, there was rustling in the bushes. Lance stood in front of the prince, holding up a crossbow. 

"Lance, be careful," Shiro said. "We're here to follow these animals, remember?"

Out from the bush emerged a dog-like creature with purple fur and glowing yellow eyes. It was quite large and possessed two little horns on its head. It overlooked Lance and the prince, but did not attack. Rather, it watched them with curiosity. Around the creature's neck was a collar that had a broken chain. The prince held his right arm out and the creature approached him, sniffing the arm. It then nuzzled its head on his palm.

"How strange," Lance whispered. "All the other monsters in the forest have tried to kill us at some point. But this one isn't." The creature turned to Lance and pounced on him, licking his face. "Ew, I stand corrected." He tried to push the creature off of him, but it would not.

"Looks like you have a new fan, Captain," Prince Shiro teased. 

Just then the creature stopped abruptly. Prince Shiro also found himself frozen, too. Lance was confused.

"Prince Shiro? Creature?"

The creature ran off into the forest. Prince Shiro followed.

"Wait, Prince Shiro," Lance called out as he chased after him. However, both the dog-creature and the prince were running at fast speeds. It became difficult for Lance to catch up. Before he knew it, the two were out of sight. 

* * *

A book on the table was teleported to the sticky web that hung on the ceiling. It was joined with other various objects, from inventions to toys to a comb and a bottle. Pidge laughed and Rover glowed.

"Ahaha," Pidge cried out tossing herself on her bed, jumping up and down. "I'm never getting over this!"

Rover nodded.

"Hey, what if I tried teleporting you next?"

Rover shook his head.

"Aw, c'mon. I need to practice with a living entity at some point."

Rover faced away from Pidge.

"Hm...what if I made you a potion that could change your eye color?"

Rover lifted himself up.

"I can change it to any color you want."

Rover turned back to face Pidge's direction. As he was hovering closer to her, he froze up. He flew past her and out the window.

"Rover?" Pidge asked as she looked out to see where Rover was going. Just then, out from the surrounding woods, Shiro emerged. Pidge blushed. It was already night and Shiro never stayed out in the forest for this long. She grabbed her hair and tossed it out the window. Rover continued to accompany Shiro as he made his way to the tower. He climbed her hair and entered her room. "Shiro, what are you doing here? I mean, not that I'm not happy to see you," she tugged one of her locks of hair, "I'm actually thrilled you're here. It's just, you never come here at night, and I'm not trying to make you feel guilty about that, I know you have responsibilities as future ruler of your kingdom and...," she stopped her rambling as Shiro knelt down and pulled her in for an embrace. She could feel his heavy breathing running on her. She hugged him back. "Hey, it's okay. You wanna lie down?"

Pidge led Shiro to her bed, sitting him down. She took his arms off of her. "You want some water?"

He nodded. Pidge grabbed a pitcher of water and filled a cup with it. She gave it to Shiro who gulped the water down before placing the cup on the nightstand. Pidge kneeled on her bed next to Shiro.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Shiro didn't look at her when he spoke. "Do you think it's possible for Haggar to curse others?"

Pidge frowned, her gaze to her sheets. "I wouldn't doubt it."

"Do you think others suffer from a curse almost as bad as mine if not worse?"

Pidge looked back at him. She noticed his hands were clenched. "I don't know."

"What kind of prince am I if I fail to protect others from being cursed?"

Pidge grabbed his hand and he squeezed hers. He finally faced her. "Pidge, I...don't know what to do. I'm so lost."

Pidge stood up on the bed and put his head against her chest. "You don't have to know. Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you have all the answers. You can't protect everyone."

Shiro sighed, pulling himself closer to her. "I know. But it hurts to think about what Haggar has done. I...came across her training grounds for some of her personal monsters. And I realized that those monsters were most likely the kidnapped animals from the nearby towns."

"Can I ask how you thought that?"

"I followed one of the monsters and saw it digging this up," Shiro dug into his pocket, pulling out a ripped collar. There was a tag on it that said _Laika_.

Pidge gasped. "That poor creature."

"Exactly," he looked up at Pidge. "Listen, I know Haggar is your caretaker. You might not like to hear me talk about what she's done. But you deserve to know the truth and what I plan. I want to put a stop to Haggar's terror. And, if you don't want to help me, I completely understand. I hope you know that I'd never hold your feelings for her against you and that no matter what happens, I would never try to hurt you." He shifted his gaze. "Intentionally anyway."

Pidge put her hands on his face. "I understand. It has been hard knowing all the damage Madame Haggar has caused. But it has left me thinking about how she's raised me to be her successor. I'd like to think that she had good intentions at one point, but...I'm sure I'm just another weapon to her. And because of that, I won't stop you from stripping her of her influence."

Shiro smiled. "How did I ever get to have such an understanding girlfriend?"

"That depends, how did I get to have such an honest and sincere boyfriend?" Pidge kissed his scar. 

The two held each other, Shiro nuzzling his head against Pidge's chest. When they pulled away, Shiro looked out the window. 

"I should probably get going," he said.

As he was about to leave, Pidge tugged his sleeve. He turned around, to see her face blushing red.

"Um...maybe you don't have to leave," Pidge suggested. "You could always spend the night here."

"I, I don't know," Shiro said. "Lance and Keith might be looking for me." Then he thought about it a bit more. "Although, I guess we were planning on spending the night in the forest. And those two do need some alone time." He smiled. "Alright, Pidge," he patted her head. "But only until morning, okay?"

Pidge jumped up. "Really?!" She quickly straightened herself out. "I mean, right. Of course." She giggled profusely as she set up her things for the night. 

Just then, the book from earlier fell down. Shiro looked up at the ceiling to see the various objects that were stuck there.

"Did you throw all that stuff into that web?" he asked.

"Nope," Pidge answered. "I teleported them."

"Really?" 

"Mhmm," Pidge responded confidently. "I have to practice if I eventually want to try it on myself."

 

The silence of the night lingered atop the prince and the witch's ward. Shiro was turned away from her, embarrassed that she had managed to convince him to sleep in the same bed as her. He couldn't let her see how embarrassed he was. Until he heard her laughing to herself.

"And what is so funny?"

"I'm sorry," Pidge lifted the blanket to cover her mouth. "It's just, I've never had anyone to sleep with before. Not in the same room. Hunk isn't even allowed to spend the night in this tower."

Shiro turned himself over. "Really? That's odd."

"Why?"

"Well, it's just, you two seem really close. Doesn't he help take care of you?"

Pidge bit the tip of the blanket before responding. "Well, yes. The thing is, Madame Haggar expects me to treat him like a servant. And by extension, she doesn't allow for him to sleep over in this tower." She lifted the blanket more to cover her nose, so that only her eyes were seen in the moonlight. "I'm glad you decided to stay, though. As embarrassed as I am about how I'll sleep, I feel comforted."

Shiro ran his fingers through her hair. "And I feel honored that a lady such as yourself would let me sleep with her." He placed his fingers over the sheet. "But a lady who offers shouldn't hide herself from the one she desires." He pulled the sheet down and kissed her. 

Pidge kissed him back. She stared at his arm.

"Do you ever take it off?"

Shiro raised his right arm. "This? Yeah, but I don't know if you'd want to see me without it."

"I do." There was a genuine curiosity in her eyes. 

Shiro folded up his sleeve, pressed a few buttons on his arm, removing it from himself. He placed his arm on a nightstand. Pidge touched the stub that was present beyond his shoulder. She pulled herself closer and kissed it.

"It doesn't gross you out?"

"Not at all."

He put his left arm around her and the two continued to kiss until they fell asleep.

* * *

Lance and Keith were around the fire, a distance between the two. They had tried to search for their prince, but did not find him. They figured he must have gone ahead on investigating the monsters in the forest without them. As the fire flickered, Lance and Keith tried to look at each other inconspicuously, but were unsuccessful as they turned away from each other the moment their eyes met.

Keith sighed. He was the first to break the silence with a question.

"Why do you hate me?"

Lance perked up. "Hate you? I never said I hated you."

"Well, you have a funny way of showing you don't hate me."

"I could say the same about you."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Lance pulled his legs close to his chin. "You think you're so cool that you can do anything on your own. I know that's why you left me alone in the Guard."

"Lance, I didn't leave you alone. I told you, there was no way I could go through with a program that had so many stupid rules and regulations just to catch criminals. It had nothing to do with you."

Lance shook his head. "But you didn't tell me you would be dropping out."

"Yeah, I insinuated it. I thought you would be able to get the hint when I vented to you about all my problems with the training."

"Well, I thought we were a team!"

"And we could have been if you didn't stop talking to me!"

"You were the one to stop talking to me first when you didn't say goodbye!" 

"I didn't want to worry you!"

Lance clenched his teeth before screaming, "QUIT ACTING LIKE YOU EVER CARED ABOUT ME!"

Keith flinched.

Lance got teary-eyed. "All those times we spent together, training, hanging out, talking...I thought all of that meant something to you." He sniffed before continuing. "I didn't think you'd actually leave me alone."

Keith tried not to look at him. "What are you talking about? You were popular."

"Not as much as you," Lance whimpered. "Everyone kept comparing us behind our backs. But I didn't mind because you were my best friend. I wanted to beat you not so I could get all the glory," he paused, "well, that's not the only reason, but there was an even more important reason. It was because you kept me motivated. I would have gladly followed you as Captain." Lance folded his hands together. "I would have followed you anywhere if you would have given me the chance."

Keith scooted closer to Lance by the fireplace. He didn't touch him yet, but he did look at him concerningly. "You know, you deserved that title more than I did. You have a family that needs you to succeed. Not because they have high expectations, but because they love you as much as you love them. I don't have anyone that I could give my glory to."

Lance looked at him, wiping his eyes. "You had me."

Keith smiled. "Yeah, but you would have claimed it as your own."

Lance smiled back. "Maybe, but I think we could have worked something out." Lance sighed. "I wish you would have at least told me goodbye. But, I guess I made it worse by being silent and trash talking you."

Keith held his hand. "Nah, it was my fault. I didn't want to say goodbye because I thought we would meet again. But I guess I should have been more direct with you."

Lance squeezed Keith's hand. "No, no, no, no, this whole mess and me being dramatic about it is all on me. Don't go blaming yourself for something I never told you."

Keith got closer to Lance. "Hey, I was the one who was oblivious to your feelings. Give me some blame."

"Nope, no way. The fault is mine."

"No, it's mine."

"Keith."

"Yeah?"

Lance leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. "Let's agree to disagree on this one. Okay?"

Keith pulled away before kissing him back. "Not a chance."

 

The flame of the campfire flickered out. Lance and Keith cuddled closely to one another as they lay on the ground in their sleeping bags, staring at the night sky. It would be hours until dawn came. Lance supposed that the night and day had always been meant to be together. It's what made the world go round after all.


	16. Haggar's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clues are pieced together and Witch Haggar reveals to Pidge what their goals are.

Morning came. Pidge and Shiro were nestled close to one another, Pidge's arms wrapped around Shiro and Shiro's single arm around Pidge. The two were snoring, not knowing when exactly they had fallen asleep. Rover wasn't too far. He was still asleep as well, having retreated into one of the shelves, a book leaning over him. Shiro slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, surveying the room, remembering what had happened. He recalled coming into Pidge's tower and there she was, still wrapped around him. He wished he had his fake arm on so that he could show the same amount of affection she was showing. Instead, he opted on placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning, my love," he whispered as he gently shook her awake.

Pidge opened her eyes, confused as to where she was at. When she looked up, she jumped.

"Ah," she gasped. "I guess it wasn't a dream after all."

"Nope," Shiro responded. 

Pidge let Shiro go so that he could get up and stretch. He grabbed his arm from the nightstand and reattached it to himself. After wiggling his fingers, he confirmed that it still worked. Pidge held her hair tightly, biting her lip and thinking of a way to get him stay longer.

"Hey, I think you should get something to eat before you leave," she recommended.

Shiro looked out the window at the rising sun. "I'm sorry, Pidge. Keith and Lance are still waiting for me."

Pidge slumped her shoulders. Shiro took one of her locks and kissed it.

"Don't look so disappointed. You know I'll come back."

"I know. But I get impatient sometimes. And scared."

Shiro spotted Pidge's flower crown on one of the shelves. He grabbed it and placed it on her head. 

"It's okay if you feel that way. But you should know that I'll always be under your service."

Pidge smiled. She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you." 

Rover woke up, slowly blinking before hovering over to Shiro. Rover nuzzled his body against Shiro's cheek. Shiro patted the familiar.

"I haven't forgotten about you, buddy," Shiro told Rover. Rover nodded approvingly.

* * *

Prince Shiro returned to the campsite to find Lance and Keith putting their things away together, smiling at one another. The prince grinned.

"Well, looks like you two are getting along," the prince teased.

Keith and Lance turned to face Prince Shiro, their faces red but also relieved to see him.

"Prince Shiro!" they both exclaimed. They knelt down.

Prince Shiro raised his hand. "No need for that. It's just us three, so there's no need for such formalities. And those formalities should never be used to hide your embarrassment."

The two of them got up, mumbling "Right, of course." 

"Where did you go, Prince Shiro?" Keith asked. "We searched everywhere for you last night."

"Are you sure? I figured by now you would know where I would have headed."

Lance's mouth was agape. "Your majesty, don't tell me," Lance stared at him with a sly grin on his face. "Oh, your majesty, you are such a charmer."

Keith raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

Lance elbowed Keith lightly. "Hey, Keith, I think we better get ready to start escorting a princess."

"Um...was Lady Allura here?"

Lance's grin fell, as he shook his head. "Oh, Keith. So gullible." He turned his attention back to the prince. "I can't believe you spent the night with Pidge."

Keith widened his eyes. "You did?"

Prince Shiro shrugged. "She insisted. And it would be rude to turn down a lady's request to stay."

"Your highness, don't you think we should be focusing," Keith stopped as he thought about the situation more. "Hey, why couldn't we find you? We searched all over this place before retreating back here."

"Hey, yeah," Lance agreed. "And after a certain distance between us, it was like you and that dog-thing disappeared."

Prince Shiro looked at the forest. "Then, I think we may have come to a startling discovery." He bent his right arm. "I did find it odd the first time I was separated from the two of you when we entered. But I think I know why. And it might even be related to what I saw last night." He faced Keith and Lance. "Before I went to Pidge, I followed the animal to the backyard of an old house. I hid behind a bush to see what would happen. There were other animals similar to the dog creature Lance and I saw. They were all in a circle, a dummy with a target. And up in the air was Witch Haggar. She ordered for them to attack the dummy."

"And what of it?" Keith asked. "They could have been beasts she picked out from the forest and trained."

"And that may be partly true. However, there was something off about these beasts. Each one had something attached to their bodies. And those chains glowed just like my arm. When Witch Haggar was done with them, the dog creature retreated to another part of the forest. I followed her. The dog-creature saw me and dropped what she had hidden," Prince Shiro took out the tag that read Laika. "It's clear now that Haggar's been stealing animals outside of the forest and implenting her own magic on them."

"That is something," Lance commented. "But, what does that have to do with us being unable to find you?"

The prince's arm glowed. "Witch Haggar is capable of enchanting the forest as she pleases. We know she can hide anything she doesn't want seen. But if she did intend for anyone to find something of hers, then she'd have to lend them her magic. Which is why Hunk and I can find that tower. You two can only see it if you're close enough to either one of us."

With this new discovery, the trio hopped on their horses and rushed back to the castle. 

* * *

Hunk had been helping Pidge put her items from the web back to their proper places. He picked up the little string that had once been a web.

"Why did you have to teleport so much stuff to the same place?" 

"It's good practice. Besides, wouldn't it have been worse had I teleported these things to various locations?"

Hunk wiggled the string. "Hm, good point." He set the string down as he continued putting the items away. 

Pidge was on the floor, drawing a crude picture of herself and Shiro. Rover was on her shoulder, watching her every stroke. Hunk stopped what he was doing when he noticed Pidge doodling. He tried to swipe the paper away, but Pidge slapped his hand.

"No touchie," she said.

"Aw, c'mon. You know you can't keep secrets from me." He pointed at himself. "I pride myself in discovering everyone's secrets."

"More like mine," she told him. 

Hunk snuck up from behind to see what she was drawing. He stuck his tongue out when he saw that it was her and Shiro holding hands.

"Shiro's a good man, but did you have to fall in love with him?"

Pidge stopped drawing and looked back to face Hunk.

"I didn't mean to. And you were the one who said Shiro was the best one out of the three of them."

"Eh, that's true. But that's just too obvious. All I'm saying is that if you're gonna keep dating him, you should be careful about how you go about it." He extended his fingers one by one as he explained the following: "I mean, first, he's a prince, so there's always gonna be some drama related to royalty and the crown. Next, no one outside of those guys know you, which I'm not saying is your fault, but if people found out that their prince was going out with an innocent, cute, smart, and unnecessarily messy girl, then they'd find ways to try and break you two apart. Which leads me to the third point in that you're Madame Haggar's ward, meaning something dangerous will happen if she knows what's going on. Oh, and did I mention that your prince is enemies with the mistress, meaning you guys are like star-crossed lovers?"

Pidge and Rover tilted their heads at each other. 

"Look, I get why you're concerned," Pidge said. "But, being with Shiro makes me feel like I can do more beyond this tower. He was the one who helped me with the teleportation spell. If I practice enough and perfect it, then we can both go wherever we want. You could introduce me to Shay and take me to all those restaurants you've been telling me about."

"I know," Hunk said. "You know, I'm not really against Shiro. He is a good prince and a good friend. I'm just scared of what Madame Haggar might do to you if she knew about this. I do worry about you, Pidge. You're like my sister."

"And you're like my brother." 

Pidge hid her drawing underneath her bed and helped Hunk put the rest of the stuff away.

 

Before they could finish that up, a puff of black and purple smoke appeared in the room. Hunk and Pidge weren't expecting a visit from Madame Haggar so soon. The scowl on her face indicated that someone was about to get in trouble. Hunk bowed before her.

"Madame Haggar, what a pleasant surprise," Hunk squabbled.

Haggar squinted her eyes. "Rise, assistant."

Hunk did as he was told. Pidge stood next to Hunk, Rover shaking up inside Pidge's hair. Haggar looked around the room, before saying what was on her mind.

"I checked a part of the forest that possessed a plant that was meant to be hidden," Haggar recounted. "It appeared that my cloaking spell was in order. However, when I looked closer, I noticed specks of a special sand I keep scattered on the dirt. That's when I realized that my cloaking spell had been broken somehow." She eyed the orb of truth that was in the corner of the room. Haggar raised her hand, the orb coming to her. "And when I realized my cloaking spell was broken, I noticed that my precious plant was missing." She held the orb up, examining it. "I already know who took the flower. There's no doubt that it was that foolish prince and a couple of his escorts. I wonder though," Haggar's eyes became much more sinister, "who could have possibly helped them? There is no conceivable way they could have succeeded without a little help."

Pidge and Hunk were shaking. Haggar stepped in front of Pidge with the orb of truth.

"Is this yours?" Haggar asked, shoving the orb in Pidge's face.

"Y-yes, ma'am," Pidge verified. 

"Did you use it?"

Pidge felt her throat close up. It was the end for her. Maybe she could still protect Hunk. Lie and say that she had been sneaking off with the prince behind Hunk's back. That way, Hunk couldn't be punished, or punished as much as she was about to at that moment. Before Pidge could answer, Hunk spoke up.

"It was me," Hunk said. "I was the one who used it."

"What?" Haggar questioned, turning her attention to Hunk. 

Hunk gulped, but continued. "I, I forced Miss Pidge to help me help the prince. Told her how easy it would be for me to pulverize her inventions," he slammed his fist on his palm, "and ruin her potion-making seminars. I mean," he shrugged his shoulders in a cocky manner, "there's no reason for you to have her be your successor. There are plenty of other candidates that are far more worthy than she is. But I'm getting off track. The point is, I was the one who co-erced her into this and gave away the location of that Altean flower."

Pidge's eyes were wide. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Didn't he realize what he was risking?

Haggar put the orb down. "You ungrateful assistant!" She raised her arms. "I have plans that the likes of a sniveling traitor such as yourself couldn't comprehend. If you thought you could get away with this, you are less than a fool." Energy came out of her hands. Hunk walked back, scared of what was going to happen. He held his arms out, screaming as he was hit with an energy blast. 

"Hunk!" Pidge screamed out. 

Haggar lowered her arms. Hunk did not move. His entire body was gray. He had been turned into stone. Pidge was about to touch him until Haggar stopped her.

"Stop!" Haggar commanded. She put a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "Do not waste your tears on this imbecile, child. As my successor, you will learn that the world is filled with those who are against you. The pain you feel about this man endangering you is the same pain I felt when your own family stole from me." The statue that was once Hunk levitated. "I shall place this at the border of the forest." Hunk disappeared from the room.

Pidge looked up meekly at her terrifying caretaker. "Um, Madame Haggar, what exactly did you mean by plans?" 

Haggar grinned. "I'm glad you asked." The room grew dark, illuminated by a purple light that engulfed the center. Pidge shivered. Haggar ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "Know that you are not in trouble, my dear Pidgeunzel. I am only disappointed that I could not have kept this a surprise like I had originally intended. But our former assistant showed you too much. And judging by the quality of that orb of yours, I'd say you are starting to prove your worth as my successor. Therefore, I shall tell you what I have in store for us." 

The illusion was that of the land just beyond the forest. "The land outside of this forest has not shown the proper respect for their most powerful witch. In order for them to understand our power, they need to see it put to the test." The landscape was replaced by a hologram of various animals being transformed into mighty beasts. "I have taken it upon myself to train our own set of beasts to overrun this land. They will be set loose on villages and cities. But they will not be enough," a hologram of Prince Shiro wearing his crown appeared. "The prince is our key to victory. He seeks victory above all else, viewing everyone as an enemy. He may think he can have control over the curse I placed on him, but that is not the case." The hologram of Shiro turned ravage. "When the time comes, the full extent of his curse will overrun him. The prince will become completely crazed with power that he will destroy his own kingdom for us. When the people suffer under his wrath, they will lose hope and we will enter as the new rulers of this kingdom." An image of Haggar on the throne with Pidge by her side appeared. "They will kneel before us or else answer to their former prince."

Pidge couldn't believe what she was told. She tried to hold in her horror. She never thought that this is what her caretaker could have possibly wanted. Haggar mistook the girl's shakiness for excitement.

"When we rule this land, no one shall ever harm us again."

Pidge spoke up. "But, Madame Haggar...what if...I'm not ready for this?"

Haggar put her hand on Pidge's head. "Dear Pidgeunzel, there is no need for modesty. As powerful as I am, I know that I cannot rule forever. That is why I need you. As a gift, I will see to it that the prince becomes your obedient pet." Pidge gasped. Haggar continued. "Don't get enthusiastic just yet. He is not ready. But he will be soon enough. He'll need a little training to follow our every command." She moved away from Pidge. "I must leave now. There is much to prepare. Whatever you do, do not let anyone come into this tower." 

 

With that, Haggar teleported out of the room. Pidge clutched her chest. Rover moved out of her hair, looking at her with concern. 

"Oh, Hunk," Pidge cried. "Why did you have to do that?" She looked up at Rover, reaching her hands to him. "It's because of me that he's been turned to stone." Rover placed himself on her palms. Pidge wiped away her tears. "I know what I have to do. I have to warn Shiro." Rover pulled himself away from her, shaking his body. "Rover, I have to. If I don't warn him, everyone will suffer. It's a risk I have to take." Rover looked down, a tear coming out of his eye. Pidge lifted him up. "Hey, it's okay. We can do this. We'll escape. Together."


	17. Cut Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Rover make their escape from the tower. Leaving the forest will be a lot tougher, though.

Pidge packed up what she believed were essentials for her journey to Shiro's castle. She looked at the inventions that remained cluttered in her room. She put a hand on one of them, shaking her head. Pidge knew she could not take all of her inventions with her. What made it worse was that she knew that she most likely wouldn't see them again. Rover hovered next to her. Pidge sighed.

"At least I still have you. That's all that matters."

Pidge grabbed her string and threw it out the window. When it fell to the ground, it expanded into a large web. Pidge held the spell book with the teleportation spell in it and read it out loud. Her backpack was transported to the web, followed by the orb of truth. Pidge then placed the book on a table, her mind focused on the book itself. When she read the spell again, the book poofed away and was teleported to the web along with her other things. 

Rover looked at her curiously.

"Don't worry, I'll be going down, too," she assured him. She grabbed a cloak from her closet and wrapped it around her shoulders. She didn't put the hood over her head just yet. "I think you should go down without me."

Rover blinked, tilting his body.

"I can't teleport myself just yet," she explained. "If I tried it now, who knows what would happen. I have to stay alive long enough to warn Shiro." Pidge looked out the window. "I know one way to get out." She knelt down, feeling the tiles on the floor. There was a loose one that she removed to reveal a box. Rover shook himself furiously. "I have to, Rover. It's worth a try." She took the lid off the box that contained a pair of scissors. "And if it doesn't work, I could still use my hair as rope to climb down." She put the scissors down momentarily to nuzzle her cheek against Rover. "Wait for me."

Rover flew out of the window and hovered down to the ground. Pidge stared at her reflection, grabbing one of her locks. 

"I hope this works."

Her hand trembled as the blades of the scissors touched her hair. She closed her eyes. She made the first snip. 

 

The tower trembled with every snip she made. One by one, her strands of long hair fell off her. She made sure that every strand was cut short, no matter how thick or thin. Before she knew it, she got to the last piece of long hair. With a deep breath, Pidge cut the final piece. The tower shook. Pidge made a run to the window. The tower was crumbling. Pidge took deep breaths before leaping out of the window. 

She screamed in terrror, until she felt something hit her torso. When she realized she wasn't bleeding, she could feel that it was Rover who had come to her aide. She smiled.

"Thanks, Rover."

Rover took her down gently to the ground.

"You're a lot stronger than what you led me to believe," she commented. Pidge pulled out a bottle from her dress pocket and dripped the liquid on the web, reverting it back to its string state.

The tower had fallen down. She could still see remnants of her hair coming out of the rubble. There was a piece of her mirror that somehow stood out. She grabbed it and took a good look at herself. Her hair was short, the ends waving upward. She couldn't believe that it was still her. 

"It could be worse," she told herself. 

Pidge let the mirror shard fall out her hand. She put her spell book and orb of truth inside the bag before lifting the bag over her shoulder. She lifted the hood of the cloak over her head. Rover floated next to her.

"Let's go."

* * *

Pidge could admit that the loss of her long hair did have its benefits. She found it easier to navigate through the forest. There was a lack of worry as to whether or not her hair would get stuck on a branch or leave a trail for someone to follow her. While she continued to find a way out of the forest, she stumbled upon Hunk. She stood in front of his frozen form. His eyes bulging out, his arms in front of him for protection, the open mouth that made sounds of terror before he was silenced. Next to Rover, Hunk had been her dearest friend. And she blamed herself for his state.

"Hunk," she put her hand on his cheek. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I'm going to get you out of this."

Rover flew over to Hunk's shoulder, closing his eye and glowing dimly.

"I miss him, too, Rover."

Before continuing her journey, she paused. She looked back at Hunk. 

"Maybe there is a spell in my book that could undo the curse," she told Rover. 

Her bag fell from her shoulder and she opened it up. When she pulled out her book of spells, she put her backpack back on, and flipped through the pages to see what she could do. When she found one that she believed might work, she held her arm out. 

"Step aside, Rover," she told him. Rover flew behind Pidge. Before Pidge could read the spell, something thrwarted the book out of her hands. Pidge jumped. The book was on the grass. As Pidge was about to reach for it, a puff of black and purple smoke appeared. Haggar stood before Pidge.

"Pidgeunzel, what do you think you're doing out here?" Haggar questioned.

"Madame Haggar...I...," Pidge lifted her hands up. 

Haggar teleported behind Pidge and yanked the hood off.

"You cut off your hair?!"

"I'm sorry, Madame Haggar," Pidge cried. "I only did so because I wanted to get a better feel for the forest and all that hair was just getting in the way and-"

"Stop lying!"

Pidge froze. Haggar circled her. 

"So, you were plotting my demise, too," Haggar hissed. "You thought you could leave this forest and warn that ingrate of a prince." Haggar stared coldly down on Pidge. "Have you forgotten what you are?"

"Please, Madame Haggar. I never wanted your demise. I just didn't want you to hurt anyone else."

"And it's that kind of thinking that could ruin us both." Haggar pushed Pidge down hard on the ground. "You were payment for your family's sin. I took it upon myself to see that you would be a worthy successor to my reign. I am giving you one last chance to redeem yourself." The spell book was levitated to Haggar's hands. "Come back with me, where we'll work together on overrunning the kingdom beyond this forest." Her fingers clenched the book. "Or refuse my offer and pay for your disobedience."

Pidge felt herself sweating. She was frightened. But she didn't lose sight of what she had to do.

"No! I won't join you," Pidge defied openly.

Haggar furrowed her eyes. She threw the book down and it caught fire.

"No!" Pidge cried, before getting pushed back by Haggar's telepathy.

"You will regret your choice!" Haggar lifted her arms, electric currents coming out of her fingertips. 

Pidge ran from them, dodging every one of them. Rover flew next to her, keeping his eye on Haggar's attacks. Pidge ran a distance away from Hunk, hoping that at the very least their battle wouldn't break him. Haggar chased after her, throwing balls of energy towards her. Pidge found a ditch she slid to. Mud covered her shoes, leggings, and lower part of her cloak. 

"I don't know how I can escape from her," she told Rover. "There's no way I can go back to the tower to search for the spell books I didn't take with me."

Rover lifted himself up before going back. He glowed rapidly.

"I know she's behind us! I just....wait, maybe I don't need to use advanced spells on her." Pidge slid her backpack off her shoulder. She took the orb of truth out. "I may not be able to beat her, but if I can strip her of her cloaking abilities, then she won't have anywhere to hide and she can be stopped. I'll need to distract her, though."

Rover hovered out of the ditch.

"Rover, wait!"

Just then, Haggar spotted the familiar and went after him. Rover was able to fly away at high speeds, making Haggar use up her energy to catch him. They barely touched the clouds when Haggar had a grasp on Rover. Pidge quickly spoke out her spark spell, causing sparks to appear around Haggar. Haggar became distracted by the bouts of sparks that she started to fall down. Pidge released her string where Haggar landed. Pidge carried the orb of truth and ran in front of Haggar. 

As Haggar struggled to break free of the sticky substance, her hood was caught, and she moved her head forward, revealing her pointed ears. She still had Rover in her grasp, who attempted to break free from her. By the time Pidge arrived, however, Haggar crushed the familiar in her grasp. 

"Rover!"

Rover's eye popped out of his pyramid body. Haggar unclenched the bits and pieces that were once the familiar. Pidge closed her eyes and focused all of her energy around the forest. The cloaking essence that was within the forest travelled into her orb. Haggar's own cloaking essecnce left her body. 

"No, stop!" Haggar demanded. "You don't know what you're doing! You'll kill me with this!"

Pidge rose the orb higher. Beams of light escaped the forest, bridges enveloping the orb. Pidge's body trembled from the amount of cloaking energy that came from her surroundings. It was starting to burn her hands, but she kept at it. She had to take as much of it away as possible. It wasn't long until the energy of the orb became unbearable for Pidge to grasp. She let go of the orb, dropping to her knees. 

Pidge panted, but could sense that the cloaking magic from both the forest and Haggar was gone. She faced her caretaker.

"Now everyone will know where you are," Pidge decreed. "You have nowhere to hide!"

Haggar chuckled. She looked up at Pidge. 

"Impressive, dear Pidgeunzel," Haggar said. "I must say, had you accepted my offer, I would have been very pleased to have had you as my ward." Energy formed around her hands. "But I can't let you off the hook that easy." A black hole came up behind Pidge. It swirled faster with every second. Pidge attempted to run from it, but felt herself sucked in. She clung on to the grass. "If you want to leave this forest so badly, you shall. I never want to see your face again." Pidge struggled to hold on. "You'll be sent far away from both this forest and the kingdom. You will never get in the way of my plans again." Pidge tried to pull herself up, but could not. "Goodbye, Pidgeunzel."

Pidge let go and was sucked into the vortex. Her screams were the last thing Haggar ever heard from her. Haggar used her magic to burn the web she was on. When she came to, she pulled her hood over head again. She stared down at her hand, using her magic to change her fingers from long and blue to short and more human like.

"You may have disabled my cloaking magic," Haggar said, "but you never took away my shapeshifting abilities."

* * *

When Pidge woke up, she found herself in a warm, dry place. Her bag was next to her. She got to her feet and saw hersef surrounded by piles of junk. 

"Hello?" she called out as she wandered through the junkyard. "Is anyone here?"

Pidge hugged herself. 

"Hunk? Lance? Keith?" Her lip was quivering. "Shiro?"

When she reached the end of the junkyard, there was nothing. She was in the middle of nowhere. Lost. Scared. And worst of all, alone. She got on her knees and cried.


	18. March to the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Allura can sense Haggar's location, she joins Prince Shiro and his troops to stop Haggar's plan from coming into fruition. More discoveries are made and an unexpected person tags along, too.

Allura was playing with the mice when she felt a jolt through her body. She carried the mice with her to the room with the round table. When she entered, she placed the mice down on the table and pulled up an illusion of the map of Garrison. A spot on the map was blinking. For the first time, she could sense the aura of Haggar.

Prince Shiro, Keith, Lance, and Coran entered the room, surprised to find Allura already there. 

"What's wrong, Princess?" Coran asked.

"Coran, you're not going to believe this, but I know where Haggar is."

"Lady Allura, I thought everyone knew that Haggar resided in the forest," Keith said.

"No, I mean, I can sense her exact location."

Prince Shiro's eyes widened. "Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I know because I've felt it before. It's the same feeling I had right before Haggar placed Coran and I to sleep."

Coran walked up to her side.

"Princess, if you can sense her, then that must mean she's already on the rise," Coran said.

"Hold up," Prince Shiro said. "That wouldn't make any sense. We were just at the forest yesterday. From what I could tell, she wasn't ready yet to unleash her beasts. She couldn't possibly make herself known right away."

Lance and Keith looked up at the map. While it was clear that she was in the forest, something seemed off. 

"Wait a minute," Keith said. "What if something happened to Witch Haggar?"

"Like what?" Lance asked. "Do you think she gained more power and she feels confident enough to unleash it?"

"No, not like that. I mean, what if someone overpowered her?"

"That would be a nice thought," Coran said. "But I'm afraid it would take someone who is immensely powerful to take her down. Not even the King Alfor could defeat her in battle."

Shiro looked up at the map. Then he remembered how the orb of truth was able to remove Haggar's cloaking spell. 

"It was Pidge," Shiro realized. "Pidge must have removed Haggar's cloaking spell."

"Of course," Lance said. "With her orb of truth! I knew she'd be reliable."

"She is," Prince Shiro placed his hands on the table, "but she could be in danger. I know we just came back, but we have to return to the forest immediately. Lance, assemble some troops to come with us. Keith, you look for some horses that are in good shape to travel on."

"And I'll come along, too," Allura said.

"Princess, you can't," Coran argued. "Who knows what Haggar will do to you if she sees you."

Allura clenched her fist. "Then let her. After what they told me yesterday, I can't afford to stand back any longer." Her expression grew sorrowful. "I know you mean well, Coran. But we can't let her get away with this. I have to join the fight. If only to make sure that Garrison doesn't suffer the same fate as Altea."

Coran let his shoulders drop. "If you say so, Princess." 

"Then let's get ready," Shiro ordered. "We have no time to waste."

 

Everyone was gearing up for the fight of their lives. Lance put on his Captain's uniform and armor. He put his helmet on which completed the look and fastened a newly furbished sword to his belt. He also chose a quiver of arrows and a sturdy crossbow to take along with him. Keith put on a black skin tight suit. He lifted his mask up over the bottom half of his face, slipping his mother's blade in his belt. Prince Shiro was being dressed in his own black and white suit of armor. The only part of his suit that was incomplete was the sleeve for his right arm as that didn't need protection and would allow the prince room to shapeshift without restriction.

Allura was in her room, opening one of her closets. In it was a suit of pink armor. She changed out of her dress and wore a white shirt with black tight pants. Allura removed the armor from the closet and put it over her body. She tied her hair up into a bun. There was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she permitted.

Coran opened the door, staring at Allura in her suit of armor.

"Princess, you look both lovely and strong," Coran said. He smiled at her. "Your father would have been proud to see you in this armor."

Allura smiled back. "Thank you, Coran." She sighed. "Do you think I can help protect Garrison?"

Coran twirled his mustache. "Why, yes. I do believe you are more than capable of helping these young folk."

Allura chuckled. "I meant do you think I can help them defeat Haggar?"

"I do," Coran affirmed. "Allura, I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I am proud of you. Always have been." The two moved in for an embrace. Coran pulled away, his hands on her arms. "Good luck, Allura. Be the hero you were meant to be."

Everyone was prepared to go into battle. They assembled out at the palace gates and marched onward to the forest.

* * *

Lance's men and women were stationed outside of the forest. Their duty was to push back and detain anything that would try to leave the forest and, if avoidable, not kill any of the monsters. Should any monster go into any of the nearby towns, they were to protect the citizens and lead them to safety. A few troops were in charge of evacuating the two closest towns to a safer distance. 

Lance, Keith, Allura, and Prince Shiro lined up in front of the forest. They dismounted from their horses, looking beyond. 

"Can you still sense her?" Prince Shiro asked. 

Allura closed her eyes. When she opened them she answered, "Yes. I can definitely feel her close by."

Lance moved ahead. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Unbeknownst to them, there was a soldier, covered head to toe with armor and a helmet that hid their face, that snuck away from the other troops and was following them to go inside the forest. 

 

Allura took the lead as she felt Haggar's presence closer and closer with every step they took. She paused when she saw something up ahead. 

"Is something wrong, Princess Allura?" Lance asked.

Allura pointed up ahead. "Look."

The group got closer and realized that it was a statue. A statue of Hunk. Lance examined it

"Hunk never told us he had a statue of himself," Lance commented as he poked the statue everywhere. "It's kinda freaky how detailed this is. It looks exactly like him, from his waist to that scared expression of his."

Keith stood next to Lance, also examining the statue. "You're right. Whoever made this statue even got his headband right." Keith tapped one of the ends of the headband.

"Don't touch it!" Prince Shiro warned. 

Keith and Lance stepped back from the statue as the prince walked in front of it. 

"Wait a minute," Prince Shiro said. "This is Hunk!"

Lance and Keith gasped.

"Wait, was he the other underling of Haggar's?" Allura asked.

"He is," Shiro answered. "Or at least, he used to be."

Allura touched the tip of Hunk's fingers. She had her eyes closed before quickly opening them up again.

"He's alive," she told the group. "I can feel his life force circulating." The prince, Keith, and Lance all sighed in relief. "I think I might be able to undo the spell placed on him."

"Wait, if Hunk is here, then where's Pidge?" Keith asked.

"In danger most likely," Prince Shiro moved ahead. "I'm going to search for her. Now that the cloaking spell has been removed, you should be able to find us easier if need be." Prince Shiro left before anyone could stop him. The soldier trailing them snuck around the rest of the group to follow the prince.  

 

Prince Shiro called out Pidge's name. He was growing more and more worried over her. He made his way to the tower. Before he could enter the tower's vicinity, a meek voice called out from behind.

"Shiro?"

It was Pidge's voice. Prince Shiro turned around to see Pidge, her hand on her elbow, her long light brown hair trailing from behind, and her eyes looking up at him with fear.

"Pidge," Shiro lowered his guard and knelt down to hug her. Pidge hugged him back. "Oh, Pidge, I was so worried about you."

"And I was worried about you," Pidge said.

Shiro pulled back. "Are you hurt? What are you doing out here? What happened to Hunk?"

Pidge bit her lip. "It was a lot to take in. It happened so fast. Madame Haggar knew what we were up to," tears were welling up in her eyes. "I was so scared, Shiro."

Shiro patted her head. "There, there. I'm here. Everything's going to be fine." He stood back up. "We need to find Haggar. Do you have any idea where she might be?"

Pidge nodded. "I think I do." She tugged his arm. "Follow me."

* * *

The soldier that had tried to tail the prince didn't make it very far before getting caught. Keith was able to hear their footsteps and slammed himself on them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Keith questioned. The soldier didn't respond. Keith lifted them up and took them back to the rest of the group. When they got there, Lance was less than pleased. "I found this one trying to follow the prince," Keith said.

Lance walked up to the soldier. "What are you doing here, soldier?" He poked the soldier on the chest. "You are supposed to be out of the forest either anticipating a monster attack or evacuating citizens. I will not have you compromise this mission on your own." Lance looked behind them. "It's bad enough the prince is already doing his own thing."

The soldier struggled to break free, but Keith kept their grip on them. 

Just then, they could feel a bright light coming on to them. They all turned their attention to Allura, whose arms were outstretched as bubbles of light surrounded Hunk. Allura swished her hands and the bubbles popped. Their splashes dropped on Hunk. Areas of himself were beginning to lose their granite touch and become either clothing material or flesh. Soon, all of the tough substance that covered Hunk had disappeared. He was back to his old self.

Hunk fell down, Allura catching him before he hit the ground. She steadied him slowly to lie down. Lance, Keith, and the still apprehended soldier surrounded him. Hunk blinked slowly, moving his head. 

"Uh...where am I?" Hunk asked. "Where's Pidge?"

"Hunk, buddy," Lance said. "You alright?"

Hunk sat up, his hand on his head. "Yeah, I think so." He turned to see the woman who was next to him. "Who is she?"

"There's no time for introductions," Allura said. "We have to catch up to Shiro. He said he was looking for Pidge. Do you know where she is?"

"Pidge...wait," Hunk rubbed the temples of his head. "I think I vaguely remember something."

"What's that?" Keith asked.

"I know Pidge was out here. But then I think Haggar showed up, too."

"Do you know where they went?"

"No. I didn't really get to see where they went after Haggar pushed Pidge away. They were out of my peripheral vision by then."

The soldier lifted their head up. 

"Then we have to hurry," Allura said. She helped Hunk get to his feet.

"We might be able to find them at the tower," Hunk said. 

"Wait, but what do we about them?" Keith presented the soldier.

"They'll just have to come along with us," Allura said. "We may need the extra set of arms." 

As Allura and Hunk moved ahead, Keith loosened his grip on the soldier. Lance looked at the soldier.

"Don't think about doing any business with us," Lance warned.

Keith held his blade behind the soldier. "You mess this up for us, you're dead."

The soldier nodded and started walking ahead of them.

"You didn't have to threaten their life," Lance whispered when he was sure the soldier wasn't within earshot of them.

"We can't take any chances," Keith defended. "We don't know what they're up to or why they followed us. It's best to keep our guard up."

Lance smirked. "Boy, you already have my gua-"

"Not now, Lance."

 

Pidge dragged Shiro to another location. The place they were at had symbols on the ground and floating candles.

"What is this?" Shiro asked. 

"I'm not entirely sure," Pidge replied. "All I know is that Madame Haggar made this." She hanged on to Shiro. "What if this is all a part of her plan?"

"It might be. I'm not sure what it means, though."

"Maybe I should take a closer look at these symbols."

Shiro rested his hand on her shoulder.

"No. Neither of us knows what this thing is, it could kill us. Although," he raised his arm, "it might not have an effect on this. Not like it would matter if this gets damaged." Shiro took himself and Pidge a few steps back. He extended his arm, a telescope coming out of it for them to get a closer look. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, but how did you get out of your tower?"

"It wasn't easy. I tried the teleportation spell on myself. I didn't know if it would work, but it did. I wanted to teleport to you, but I could only go short distances. And then I lost my spell book."

Shiro flashed her a smile. "It's alright. I'm proud of you, Pidge."

Pidge nodded. Shiro's arm touched the borders of the symbols. Pidge looked through the telescope.

"I think I might recognize these."

"You do?"

"Yeah, move your arm a little more forward."

Shiro did as he was told. Pidge gazed at the ritual setup. Without him looking, she grinned.

_He'll be in my possession soon enough._


	19. Clashing Forces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Haggar continues. A startling site makes the battle become more intense.

Pidge continued to give Shiro instructions on where to place the palm of his hand. Shiro followed them, and it was almost as if with every symbol he touched, a piece of his free will was being lost. He spoke less and less. His eyes grew dreary. Pidge looked up at him.

"Shiro, can you still hear me?" she asked.

"Of course, my love," he answered without any emotion.

"Good. Now, after you press your palm on the last symbol, I want you to enter it."

"Yes, love."

After Shiro pressed on the last symbol, the telescope was put away and his arm was retracted back to its original length. Pidge walked alongside Shiro to the ritual setup, holding his good hand. Before they could step on it, Allura and Hunk came out.

"Shiro!" Allura yelled. 

Shiro stopped in his tracks. Pidge turned to her, her frows burrowed. Allura looked down on her.

"You," Allura pointed, "Shiro, get away from her! It's Haggar!"

"What?" Shiro asked in confusion as he looked down on Pidge. Hunk was confused as well, not knowing if that really was the witch. 

Pidge hung her head low, letting her hand fall from Shiro's. Her body shook up. She giggled. That giggling turned into her laughter as she lifted her head. Her eyes were glowing yellow. She grew taller. As her body extended, her skin turned blue. The long brown hair fell off and disipatated into the air, being replaced by strands of white hair. Her green dress extended as well, morphing into dark purple robes. A hood revealed itself, covering the top of her head. Haggar's smile did not fade when she stopped laughing.

"I suppose it doesn't matter now," Haggar said. 

Shiro backed away from the ritual setup, going with Allura and Hunk. The soldier, Keith, and Lance caught up, only to be greeted by none other than Haggar herself. The soldier scanned the area, in search of something. Haggar looked at the prince.

"As long as your full power is unlocked," Haggar continued, "I can still bind you to my service." She raised her arms. Smoke surrounded the area. Everyone shielded themselves from it. Once it went away, an army of mutated monsters growled low. Haggar flew above them. "Go!" The creatures fled the scene, heading out into the forest. 

Hunk was about to chase after them, but was held back by Lance. "It's okay, buddy, I have troops outside the forest borders," Lance explained. However, there was a single monster that remained in the area. It was Laika, her body ready to pounce. Lance readied his crossbow and Keith took out his mother's blade. Hunk, without a weapon in hand, put his fists up. 

"Remember," Shiro said. "We don't want to kill any of the monsters."

Lance and Keith nodded. 

"We won't," Keith replied. "We'll be careful with our weapons."

Laika looked around the area. She rose her paw up and smashed Shiro out of the way. 

"Your majesty!" Keith and Lance said. 

It was a big blow, Shiro having crossed over a few areas of the forest. As they were about to go after him, Laika ran towards them. Keith and Lance readied their weapons, but Hunk stood in front of her, holding her back. Keith and Lance held down Laika's paws. Haggar flew away from all of them, in the direction Shiro was thrown to.

"Now what do we do?" Hunk struggled to keep her back. 

"We have to make sure this animal doesn't escape the forest or attack the prince," Lance said. 

Keith looked up. The soldier stood motionless. 

"What are you waiting for?" Keith asked them.

The soldier looked down at Laika before turning to where Shiro would be. They bowed their head before making a run for it.

"Hey!" Laika raised her paw, and Keith pushed it back down. 

Hunk pushed Laika back. He was about to grab a hold of one of her hind legs, but was kicked in the torso area. Allura shot an energy blast at Laika. Rather than hurting her, the energy blast made Laika drowsy. 

"That should keep her under control for now," Allura said. "Come on, we have to go after Shiro."

* * *

Shiro struggled to get up. He took a look at his arm, which wasn't glowing.

"How strange," he muttered to himself. "I thought she said she unlocked the full power of my curse. And yet, I'm okay." Shiro tried to stand, but slipped. "Agh, where did I land that it would be this tough?" He looked down. It appeared as though his body was hit against some sort of rocky or boulder area. There was rubble underneath him. "That dog is strong, I'll give her that." However, as Shiro was coming together, he noticed that the rubble seemed to come from something specific. There were pieces that were rectangular shape. Like a structure to a building. He realized that the throw wasn't what caused the rubble. It was there long before he had been thrown. His hand felt something as he tried to get up. It wasn't a singular thing. It felt as if it were a bunch of them together. He clasped it and held it up. Before him was long, light brown hair. His eyes widened in terror, his mouth open. "N-no," he uttered, his arm shaking. "No!" He knelt over the rubble and started digging through the pieces of stone. "Pidge! Pidge!" 

Haggar came behind him. She raised her hand. 

"Now it's time for you to-"

A stone was thrown at her, which she dodged. Shiro got up. His hands transformed into claws. His ears growing pointy like the Alteans. When he turned around, his eyes were glowing and his fanged teeth were bared. He stared down at her. 

"YOU!" He jumped up and tried to punch her. Although she dodged, Shiro's punch left a hole on the ground. Allura and the others, including the soldier, caught up with Haggar. But they were surprised to see Shiro in this new state. He looked much more feral and bloodthirsty than before. Shiro had his right arm grow bigger in size. "WHERE IS SHE?! WHERE IS MY PIDGE?!" Shiro roared at Haggar, who looked down at him from above.

"Good," she said. "You are displaying much more power than I anticipated."

Shiro's arm extended to her, and he held her in his clutches. Haggar looked more annoyed than anything. Waves of electricity ran through her body, which in turn ran through Shiro.

Lance held his crossbow high and shot an arrow to Haggar's direction. Haggar turned to see the arrow, which stopped right before it hit her face. The arrow turned around and flew towards Lance. Keith pushed him down, the arrow missing them. The soldier tried to run ahead to the rubble, but was stopped by Hunk.

"Don't, it's dangerous," Hunk warned. "We don't know how unstable Shiro is." 

Just then, Laika came running out. She circled Shiro, only for Shiro to shift his arm into a club. He swung at her, but Hunk came up to tackle her down so that Shiro's hits would miss. Shiro shifted his arm back into its clawed form, except he extended it to reach for a tree. He picked the tree up with ease and used that to smash Laika and Hunk. The hit didn't kill them, however, as Laika's body was able to withstand the hit and she used herself to protect Hunk. Hunk was confused as he believed Laika to be under Haggar's spell. However, Laika emerged and tried to go after Shiro.

"Wait," he told her as he held her back. "It's not worth it." He took Laika away from the scene. Allura aided him by placing another sleeping spell on the dog creature. When Hunk was sure that Laika was a safe distance away, he rejoined Keith, Lance, and the mysterious soldier.

Shiro laughed. His arm shifted into a sword. Allura summoned a force field that she placed around Shiro. Shiro thrashed through the shield he was put in. 

"Let me out!" Shiro barked. "By order of the Prince of Garrison, I order you to let me out!"

Allura shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Shiro. This is for your own good."

Shiro smashed his claws at the shield. "Traitorous witch! You're working for Haggar aren't you?! You helped her take Pidge away!"

"Shiro, calm down!"

He roared at her. Haggar laughed as she hung overhead of them.

"Give up, Princess," Haggar said. "Once I have him under my control, you'll be next."

Allura clenched her fist. "No! I will never let you hurt another soul!" Allura concentrated her energy into her fist. She punched the air, causing bouts of wind to course through the field. The winds were strong enough to make Haggar fall over. When Haggar got up, her hood was taken off. Haggar gave a deathly glare to Allura, who pressed her palms down on the earth. Haggar stuck her hands out in front of her body, a wall of fire coming in between the two. 

The soldier fled from the group. 

"Hey, where are you going?!" Lance pulled his sword out. "Come back here at once!"

"Leave them," Hunk advised. "I think we have bigger issues to worry about. Like Shiro making a crack on that force field."

Shiro continued to attack the force field. Keith moved around him, readying a chain to hold the prince down. Just then, Haggar raised her arms and various plants popped out of the ground. Most were vicious venus flytraps that had their mouths wide open. They were huge enough to swallow an average human whole. The venus flytraps surrounded Keith, Lance, and Hunk. Lance swung his sword around to chop off their heads. Keith used his blade to stab them through their mouths. Hunk focused on dodging the flytraps attacks long enough until he could grab one by the root and yank it out of the ground. As they were distracted, Haggar raised some roots underneath Shiro's feet, trapping him. She tapped on the cracked force field, the field falling down into pieces. Shiro struggled to get free from the roots. 

"No more interruptions," Haggar said. "You will be under my control once and for all."

As Haggar raised her arms again, beams of purple light hitting Shiro, Shiro growled and shapeshifted his arm into that of an axe and sliced the roots right through. He raised himself high and pinned Haggar to the ground. 

"Tell me where she is!" Shiro demanded. He put his left hand on her neck, his right hand turned into a blade whose tip touched her chin. 

Haggar moved her fingers a bit, a dark black pepper popping up. She tore the pepper in half. "And how will you find her when you can't see?" Haggar shoved the halves of pepper into Shiro's eyes.

Shiro let go of her, roaring in pain. "AAAHHH! MY EYES!" Shiro curled up, returned his right arm to the way it was before, and placed hands over his eyes. He wailed in pain. He removed his hands from his eyes, trying to see the world around him. Everything was blurry. With every blink he took, his vision got worse. Sweat dropped down his face. The world became dark. He squinted his eyes to get one last look at the fallen tower. When everything was dark, he shut his eyes, trying to make the pain go away.

"A shame I had to give up my most useful weapon," Haggar said to herself. "But I suppose there are other places that have stronger leaders for me to control." As Haggar was about to leave, she felt something hold her back. She looked behind her to see the mysterious soldier. "Let go of me, you filthy mortal!" she commanded. Before she could use her own magic against him, she was punched in the face by Allura. Allura's punch was not merely a physical hit, however. Allura had sent in her own current of magic with that hit. Haggar's body was getting stuck. The soldier let Haggar go, knowing that she was paralyzed. Allura levitated Haggar up.

"Witch Haggar," Allura said. "For too long you have terrorized the innocent. You destroyed Altea and have ruined the lives of those in Garrison. You should be dead for all the trouble you have caused." Allura shook her head. "But I will not kill you. I shall strip you of your power and you will answer any and all questions the prince has for you. And you'll start with telling us where Pidge is."

The soldier looked up at Haggar. Haggar laughed. 

"Well played, Princess," Haggar said. "But if I had a choice," a venus flytrap emerged from the ground, "I'd rather die with my magic than ever let the likes of you take away my gifts."

"Haggar!" 

The venus flytrap swallowed Haggar whole. When it did, it slunk back into the earth. Allura was in shock. Lance, Keith, and Hunk ran to see what had happened. Their hands were full of blisters, and they received cuts and bruises on their bodies. The group turned their attention to Prince Shiro, who was still lying on the ground. The soldier used the time that they were distracted to walk away. 

Shiro took deep breaths. He could feel himself getting picked up by someone. Two people. 

"Prince Shiro?" Keith's voice called out.

"Keith, is that you?" Shiro asked. "Where are you?"

Keith looked down at the prince. "I'm right here, your highness."

When Shiro lifted his head, his eyes were red and foggy. "Really? I can't see you. I can't see a thing." His arm was glowing. Allura put her hand on it. 

"It's okay, Shiro," she said calmly. "We'll get you back to the castle and fix you up."

Laika awoke from her slumber, but rather than pounce on Shiro, she pounced on Lance. She licked Lance's face.

"Okay, okay," Lance said. "We'll take you back home, too."

* * *

 

Once they were out of the forest, the troops were in the middle of containing the creatures that had come out. They put them in large cages. However, the creatures were surprisingly compliant. One of the soldiers approached Lance.

"Captain," she said, saluting him. "All creatures have been stopped from heading into any of the nearby towns."

"Did you have to kill any?" Lance asked.

"Thankfully not, sir."

"Good."

"It was strange, Captain. For the most part, we had to fight tooth and nail to prevent them from going into the towns. Then, out of nowhere, they started calming down."

Lance looked at Laika's collar. He put his hands over it, surprised when it fell apart easily. Laika's appearance did not change, however. 

"I wonder if these chains were the only way Haggar could control them," Allura wondered. "Perhaps they were only cursed physically."

Lance spoke with the soldier before him. "Thank you for your report. There's just one more thing I have to ask."

"Yes, sir?"

"I want a count of every soldier in all of the troops. Someone snuck off from the rest of you and we haven't seen them since."

"Will do, sir."

The female soldier left. Just as Lance was about to send Laika off to one of the cages, a nearby large soldier with a square cut beard and square cut hair stopped what he was doing, a smile forming around his face. He extended his arms as he ran up to the group.

"Laika!"

Laika left Lance's side and jumped to the soldier. She stood on her hind legs as the man rubbed her coat.

"Who's a good little yupper?" the man cooed.

"Wait, she's your pet?" Lance asked.

"Captain," the man saluted as Laika got down. "Yes, she is. How could I not recognize my precious Laika?" Laika nuzzled herself against the man. The man noticed Hunk and Keith carrying Prince Shiro. He bowed. "My apologies, Captain. I'll summon the medics right away for the Prince."

The man and Laika went rushing to a troop of medics. Shiro still struggled to keep himself up. 

"I'm glad Laika was able to find her master," he commented. "I wish I could have seen it."

The group looked at one another with concern. Luckily, doctors came by and placed Shiro in a rolling bed which was then rolled into an emergency unit. Allura and Hunk got on. Keith was about to, but noticed that Lance remained. 

"Lance, come on," Keith said as he held his hand out.

Lance shook his head. "Go on without me. I have an army I need to overlook. I'll catch up with you. Promise."

Keith nodded and got in the emergency unit. The emergency unit left right away. But it would soon be learned that it wouldn't matter how long it took to get the prince medical attention. The damage was already done.


	20. Blind Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although Prince Shiro has gone blind, he doesn't let that deter him from finding Pidge. What he didn't expect to find was an important part of her past.

Prince Shiro was taken to the castle infirmary and undergoing treatment. Hunk and Keith had their wounds tended to while waiting for the Prince. Allura and Coran carried the curse-breaking potion into the emergency room. When Lance returned to the castle, a day had passed and still the prince was not out. He waited with Hunk and Keith, although Keith rested his head on Lance's shoulder. An unexpected visitor also showed up, although the visit was primarily for Hunk. The visitor was a tall, muscular woman with short black angular hair that was at her ears. She wore a simple green and yellow attire. She only had one earring on. 

"Shay!" Hunk said excitedly. Hunk got up from his seat and the two embraced. 

"Hunk, are you alright?" Shay looked down as she cupped his cheek. 

"I'm fine."

Shay sighed, the two of them sitting next to each other. "I heard that you were in the forest during the battle. I thought something terrible might have happened to you."

"Eh, it wasn't anything I couldn't get out of without the help of my friends."

Lance perked his head up. "Wait. You consider us friends?"

Hunk smiled. "Yeah. After all we've been through. Who else would I run into danger for?"

Lance and Keith smiled at the thought.

Hunk reached into his pocket and dropped Shay's other earring on her palm. He closed her hand. "I have a feeling that the last time we get together won't be for a long, long time." Shay put her earring on and rested her head on Hunk's. 

Coran popped his head out of the door, a frown on his face. 

"You may see the Prince now," he said. 

All of them got up. The couples held hands as they braced for what they would see. When they came in, Allura had her armor off and stood next to Prince Shiro who was lying on a bed. One a small desk next to the bed was a bowl that held the curse-breaking potion. Shiro's right arm was not attached to him. His eyes were covered in bandages. The mice scurried to the edge of the bed and sat atop the prince's feet. Allura looked at everyone before relaying the news.

"Allow me to start off by saying that the curse-breaking potion worked," she said. Everyone sighed in relief, but there was still concern on their faces. "We had him drink it and when it did, his arm stopped glowing. Unfortunately, the curse was really all the potion was able to alleviate." She glanced down at Shiro. "We found out that his eyes had pepper seeds in them."

"Oh, then he's only like this temporarily?" Hunk asked. 

"I'm afraid not," Coran answered. "It was a special kind of pepper. One that must never be put in anyone's eye. You see, that pepper is strong enough to cause....," Coran paused. He looked at Allura who gave an approving nod. "It causes blindness. And not short-term blindness, either."

Shay pulled Hunk closer to her. Keith and Lance squeezed their hands. Allura wiped a tear from her eye.

"I'm sorry," she said. 

Prince Shiro turned his body and sat up. 

"Don't be," Shiro told her. Everyone gasped. 

"Shiro, I didn't know-"

Shiro raised his hand. "It's fine." He put it back down. "Kinda hard to tell when I have these bandages over my eyes. Does my arm still work?"

"Well, it looks like it won't be able to shapeshift anymore, but a few repairs should make it functional again and you'll be able to put it back on after you've rested for a few days," Coran said.

"And Pidge? Did you ever find her?"

"Pidge? You mean the girl Hunk was taking care of?" Shay asked.

Shiro perked up. "Oh, my apologies. I didn't know there was someone else in the room. Since you mentioned Hunk, you must be Shay, right?"

"Yes, I am." 

Shiro held his hand out. She grabbed it and they shook hands.

"Pleased to meet you, Shay."

"As it is an honor to meet you, Prince Shiro," Shay replied.

When they let go, Keith asked, "How are you feeling, your highness?"

Shiro gave a light chuckle. "Heh, I feel great. My curse was broken, yet I still have a scar across my face and white hair. I'm missing my arm and the love of my life. And to top it all off, I've lost my sight, too." The prince could sense the awkward silence in the room. "Sorry, I just thought I'd make light of my situation." He quickly changed the topic back to what he really wanted to know. "So, did you find her?"

"I'm afraid not, your highness," Keith replied. "We...couldn't find her."

Shiro held a piece of his blanket tightly. "Lance."

"Yes, your highness?"

"I want you to start a search party for her as soon as you can. I need to know if she's safe."

"Right away," Lance left the room. 

"Don't worry, Prince Shiro. We'll find her," Coran said.

"Thank you," the prince said.

Everyone else remained with the prince until they were certain he fell asleep. Allura carried the mice with her as she left the room. Coran went to go speak with the doctors to know just what kind of treatment Prince Shiro would need. Hunk, Shay, and Keith were dismissed. 

* * *

With the search of Pidge came the inevitable passing of the story of how the prince and his men found her and Hunk atop the tall tower in the forest. The story spread like wildfire as the citizens of Garrison searched for the mystery girl. The fear that was once in the hearts of Garrison passed and was replaced by a new emotion: pity. Some voiced their concern over having a ruler that could not see. They could accept him missing an arm since he at least had a prosthetic and even then rulers did not need both arms to rule. But a blind leader may be taken advantage of easily. Prince Shiro understood his people's concerns, which is why he continued to employ the services of Allura and Coran. Allura and Coran traveled the kingdom, passing on their own knowledge of magic to non-magic users. They helped in relieving the aide of those that were affected by Haggar's influence. As such, Prince Shiro gave them the official titles of Good Witch Allura and Good Wizard Coran. Hunk and Shay were offered rooms in the castle so that they may help with the search for Pidge as well. Hunk was also in charge of preparing the prince's meals as he knew how to accomodate the meals to the prince's taste buds. And though it took a while, Lance was finally able to move his family closer to the castle on a piece of land given to him by Shiro. Although Lance would spend most of his days on the search, he was happy to finally be able to stay with his family whenever he came back. 

Keith would often be the main one to stay by the prince's side in the castle. He was still the prince's personal bodyguard after all. Keith would do more than protect the prince from danger, however. He took it upon himself to act as Prince Shiro's eyes and help him get around. While Prince Shiro would get accustomed to his blindness, he appreciated Keith's guidance as the castle was still vast in size. Prince Shiro continued to rule his kingdom with the same wisdom and guidance he had before he lost his sight. However, as days had passed, he grew more and more detached from people in general. It wasn't uncommon for him to spend an entire day meditating in his garden. His friends grew concerned over his well-being, but they knew that the best they could do was continue searching for Pidge.

 

One day, while Prince Shiro was sitting on the throne and being read reports by Allura and Lance, someone came running up to the throne room and got on his knees. The thud that came from the person bowing caught the prince's attention.

"Who is there?" Prince Shiro asked.

"Forgive me," the boy that came rushing in said, trying to cath his breath. When he lifted himself up, Lance thought that the boy looked familiar. The boy had short, light brown hair and round glasses. In his arms was a mechanical bird. "I heard about your search for the girl in the tower, your highness."

"Do you have any news about her?"

"I'm afraid not, your majesty. But I do have something that can help," he held up the mechanical bird. 

"Boy, you wouldn't happen to be the son of Samuel Holt, would you?" Allura asked as she picked up the bird. 

"I am," the boy said. "My name is Matthew Holt. Son of Samuel and Colleen Holt. I don't mind being addressed as Matt, though."

"Samuel Holt?" Prince Shiro tried to think if that name was familiar. "I'm sorry, but what exactly does your father do?"

"His father is one of the royal scientists," Lance answered. "He hasn't been here for too long, though."

"The Captain is right," Matt said. "What the Lady Allura holds in her hands now is an invention that my father and I have been working on. It's a mechanical bird that is meant to survey the land."

Allura handed the bird to Shiro. Shiro swept his fingers on the head of the bird before turning it around and feeling every part of it. He tapped on the bird's beak. He extended one of the wings.

"And how long have you two been working on this?"

"Quite a while, your majesty. If you press on its head, it'll turn on."

Shiro pressed the top of the bird's head. It immediately chirped and flew away from the prince, circling the throne room.

"Woah, Prince Shiro the bird is actually flying!" Lance said excitedly, his mouth open in awe. 

The bird flew around before retreating to Matt's shoulder. When it landed, it revealed the people that were in the room. Prince Shiro nodded approvingly.

"Impressive," he said. "We shall use it immediately. And if it is successful in finding Pidge, then I shall reward you greatly."

"Hey, I think you should ask to become a royal scientist," Lance suggested. "I mean, unless you're not in to that sort of stuff. I'm not, either."

Matt shook his head. "It is true that I'm working to be a royal scientist. But that is not what I want for my reward."

Shiro perked up. "Oh? Then perhaps you would like a monetary reward then?"

"No."

"Land? Another position in my castle? An invitation to one of the royal events? Fame?"

Matt clutched his pants. "I do not want any of that stuff. All I ask," Matt looked up at the prince, "what I want is for my parents and I to see this girl when she is found."

"May I ask why?" Shiro leaned his head forward to hear what the young man had to say.

Matt sighed. "Your highness, I do not know for certain if the girl you met is the same girl I'm thinking of. But they have to be one in the same. Your highness, I think the girl you're looking for is my sister."

Shiro leaned his head back. "Your sister?"

"Yes." Matt set the bird aside. "When I was a child, my mother was gravely ill and pregnant with my sister. I stole a pidgeunzel from Witch Haggar's garden to save her. Some time later, after Katie was born, Witch Haggar took her away from us."

"Katie?" Allura asked. "The one we're looking for is named Pidge."

"I'll admit, I was confused the first time I heard that name. But, Pidge is short for Pidgeunzel, yes?"

"It is," Prince Shiro verified. 

"Then it's as I suspected. I should have known that Haggar would change her name. I can tell you that her real name is Katie. But, I guess it doesn't matter what one calls her. I'm just concerned about finding her. My family and I have been searching for her for years. I even went as far as to....," Matt paused. The Captain of the Guard was right there. He figured he would have to confess at some point. And he owed them an apology for abandoning them. "I posed as a soldier during the battle against Witch Haggar."

Lance stepped up. "So you were the uncompliant soldier. Why did you impersonate a soldier?"

Matt shook up. "Because if the cloaking spell was taken off, then I needed to take that chance to find my sister." Tears started forming around the corner of Matt's eyes. "Please, I'm begging you! I'll accept any punishment you give me for impersonation and abandonment. I know I shouldn't have left you, Captain, and the others when you were struggling against the monster. I can't apologize enough for that. All I ask is that I get to see my little sister once and that she get to meet our parents." Matt broke down in tears. "My mom and dad are good people. They've never done anything to hurt me, even when it was all my fault that their youngest child got taken away from them." He sniffed. "Please, let us help you find her and let us be with her. Just for one day." Matt's tears dripped all over his knees and the floor. 

Prince Shiro rose from his throne. He took careful steps down, Allura and Lance going down with him in the event he needed help. The prince pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and held it out.

"Please, stand."

Matt did so and took the handkerchief from the prince.

"Do not fear being punished."

"It may be true that you made some mistakes when you were in the forest," Allura said. "But you also helped me defeat Haggar. I wouldn't have been able to land my paralyzing punch on her if you hadn't held her back."

"Yeah, we do have to thank you for that," Lance admitted. 

Prince Shiro extended his hand out, moving it around until it landed on Matt's head. 

"We'll find your sister," Prince Shiro said. "When we find her, I'll arrange for you and your parents to meet her. Your sister's smart and adaptable. She's out there. I know it."

Matt wiped his nose. "Thank you, your highness." Matt took off his glasses and cleaned them with the hem of his shirt. When he put them back on, Shiro removed his hand. "Your highness, may I ask you one more thing?"

"Go for it."

Matt tapped his leg. "What is she like? Her personality? Likes? Dislikes?"

Prince Shiro smiled. "She's wonderful." His head faced the ceiling. "She's an inventor. She's smart. She's beautiful." He closed his eyes. He pictured Pidge, or rather Katie, in her green dress wearing the flower crown he made for her, smiling back at him. "She's one of the most amazing people I have had the honor of meeting."

Matt was in shock. "Your highness...."

Before Matt could finish his sentence, Shiro turned around and made his way back to his throne. "Let's focus on getting that bird to work." He sat down on his throne. "Forgive me, but I must attend to my duties. If your bird is ready, you and your father may send it out. You may use the courtyard behind the palace as a rendezvous for it."

Matt bowed. "Yes, Prince Shiro."

When Prince Shiro could no longer hear Matt's footsteps, he cried his own tears.

"Prince Shiro?" Lance questioned. 

Allura wiped his tears with her handkerchief. 

"Silly girl," Shiro said. "She never suspected Haggar of lying to her. She has to come back. She needs to know that her family has always loved her."

Lance and Allura held his hands in comfort. 

* * *

BONUS:

Prince Shiro sat comfortably on his throne, a book in hand. He had been learning how to read braille so that he could get sucked in to tales that were vivid in description. A band was nearby, playing soothing music as he read. Keith, Lance, and Hunk entered the throne room, the band stopping their music, their faces looking at them in shock. The band members eyed one another, unsure if they should say anything.

"Oh, who's there?" Prince Shiro asked.

"Keith, Lance, and Hunk, your highness," Keith answered. "We hope you don't mind, but we got you a gift."

"A gift?" the prince closed his book. "What is it?"

Lance grinned as he stepped forward, tugging an animal behind him. "Your majesty, we thought it might help if you had a guide animal to help you get around the castle. I mean, I know you have Keith, but who knows what could happen to that handsome face of his." 

Keith turned red. 

"Keith's face just turned red," Hunk told the prince.

"The prince does not need to know that!" Keith said feeling embarrassed.

Prince Shiro laughed. "No, no. It's quite alright. As long as Lance keeps things appropriate, I don't mind hearing you guys flirt." He rose from his seat. "I truly appreciate the thought, guys. That was really nice of..." before Prince Shiro could continue his thought, he sniffed the air. Something smelled off. It was reminiscent of a barn. It was a mixture of milk and straw scents. Although Shiro could not see, he faced his head in the direction of the source of the smell. "Did you bring a cow into this castle?"

The cow mooed as her tail wagged. 

"We thought it would be easy for a cow to help you get around," Lance explained. "I mean, it's pretty big, so if it bumps into something, you'll know where you are. Plus, it has horns, so you'll know that it's your cow!"

"Please don't tell me you spent money to buy a cow."

"Actually, the cow came with purchase," Hunk clarified.

Shiro raised a finger before bringing it back down. "I don't even want to know what you bought that could have possibly come with a cow." He pinched the arch of his nose. "Take that cow to the stables. And guys, if I so much as step on manure inside this castle, all three of you will be given stable duty for months."

The three of them turned around and guided the cow to the stables.

Lance whispered, "Alright, all we gotta do is make sure that there isn't any manure left in these halls. If there is, then we'll just order a servant to pick it up."

"If there is manure in this castle, all of you have to pick it up!"

"Aw man," Lance moaned, Keith and Hunk glaring at Lance for his poor timing to whisper his thoughts to them when they hadn't even left the throne room yet.


	21. Pidge's Exile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge's loneliness doesn't last as she's found by some rather nice people. She starts to learn from these people so that she may get back to Shiro.

The junkyard didn't seem to have been in use for quite a while. Nobody came and no portals opened up to dump any garbage. Pidge found a wagon that she was able to fixed up and filled it with things she might have needed from the junkyard. She pulled the wagon along and started on her journey back to Garrison. As she walked across the vast land of nothingness, she would occasionally use her thermos for a drink or to splash water on her face. She still had some of her food rations from when she had planned her escape. She managed to ration her food to last her for a week. Unfortunately, that food ran out and soon water would no longer cut it for her if she wanted to live. Around the evening, Pidge rested her wagon and pulled out a few knick knacks from it. These knick knacks were busts she had made of her friends. She picked up Keith's bust and began imitating his voice.

"Sigh, we've been lost for so long. I need to get back to back to the castle so I can write poetry about how much the world sucks."

"Keith's right," Pidge said in her normal voice. "How are we ever going to get back?"

She picked up Shiro's bust. "It's okay. As long as we work together, we'll find a way back! The greatest power of all is frienship!"

"Hey, look at me," Pidge waved Lance's bust, "I'm the Captain of the Guard! Don't forget just how popular I am!"

"Aw man, I'm so hungry," Pidge raised Hunk's bust. "We haven't eaten in days. Hey, Keith, you're the emo ninja, can't you use your emo ninja skills to go hunting?"

Pidge retrieved Keith's bust again. "Sigh. I can't. There's nothing for us to eat here. We're all gonna starve. We might as well start writing our will."

"Keith, please," Lance's bust said. "We're not gonna die. Quit being such a downer you overglorified servant."

"I am not an overglorified servant," Keith's bust replied. "But I am your servant, Captain."

Lance's bust swooned. "Oh my, you mean it?"

Keith's bust got next to Lance's. "Yes. I love you, Lance. I love you more than the blood that pumps in my heart. Let's make out!"

Keith and Lance's busts touched one another. Hunk's bust got in between them. "Get a room, you two!"

It was getting late and dark. Pidge nestled in to her cloak, using it as a means to get warmth. She pulled Shiro's bust close to her. She stared up at the night sky. The sky was filled with stars and the moon was out, too. 

"I could still see the stars in my tower, but I could never see them like this. I wish Rover were here." She kissed the top of the bust. "I hope you're safe at least." Pidge closed her eyes and went to sleep. 

* * *

When Pidge woke up, she found herself covered in a blanket. She sat up, and saw that she was in a hut of some kind. The hut had a mixture of natural elements and technologically enhanced elements. The wall next to the bed Pidge looked and felt like bark of a tree, but the other walls were black and concrete. There were plants in bloom on the floor, and yet there were also floating cubical devices that were on every corner of the room. Pidge still had her Shiro bust in her arms, but left it on the bed as she got up.

"Where am I?" she asked herself. She touched one of the cubes and an older, kindly woman's voice was heard from it.

"Good morning," the voice said. Pidge jumped. The voice giggled. "Don't be scared. Please, come out. We have food ready for you."

Pidge got in front of the door, which opened by itself the moment Pidge stood in front of it. She wrapped her cloak over herself as she saw floating steps leading downstairs to a moderately advanced looking kitchen area. At the table were people who wore orange and white robes. There was an older looking woman with her hair pointed up that pulled up a screen out of thin air. She inputed something to it before waving it away. She noticed Pidge at the end of the stairway and smiled.

"I'm glad you could make it," she said. She motioned her arm to an empty chair next to her. "Won't you have a seat?"

Pidge walked over and took a seat next to the woman. On the table was all sorts of food she had both recognized and didn't. The woman filled an empty plate with this food and placed it in front of her.

"Please, eat."

Pidge dug into the substance and took a bite.

"It's good," Pidge said after she swallowed her food. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, but who are you? And how did I end up here?"

"Why, of course. I am Ryner. And what is your name?"

"Pidgeunzel. It's a mouthful, so Pidge is just fine."

"Pidge. What a lovely name. My people found you while they were practicing their teleportation spell."

"Your people?"

"The Olkari."

"Olkari?"

She nodded. "I supposed I shouldn't be surprised you haven't heard of us. We haven't made our presence known in thousands of years. Oh, but you must not be interested in a history lesson."

Pidge looked at her with curiosity. "I don't mind."

"An interest in history I see. That's good." Ryner pulled up an image of a grand city covered in titanium buildings. "Our home nation of Olkarion used to be one of the most revered kingdoms in all the planet. But one day, an evil witch came and tried to take over. Most were taken prisoner. The remaining fled far away. Those that were able to escape the evil witch's grasp are our ancestors. We have lived in this forest ever since."

"Wait, forest?"

Ryner got up and Pidge followed her outside. Out there were trees and plant life that were gigantic. Many Olkari citizens were seen riding in pods from the trees or playing with magic powered toys. Pidge was in awe. 

"Our people have learned to adapt with the nature around us and combine it with our technology." Ryner pulled out Pidge's thermos. "We found this among your things. Did you build it?"

Pidge nodded.

"It's very impressive."

Pidge felt proud. "Thank you."

"Have you made other inventions?"

"Yes, I have. I used to fill my room with all sorts of inventions. But....," clutched the top of her cloak, "they were destroyed when I ran away."

Ryner bowed her head. "Forgive me. I did not mean to pry into your personal life."

Pidge shook her head. "No, it's alright. But, if I may ask, do you by any chance know where Garrison is?"

"Garrison?" Ryner frowned. "I'm afraid it's rather far from here. On the other side of the world in fact. The Olkari haven't made contact with that part since our expedition here."

Pidge sighed. "I guess there's no way for me to get there, then." 

Ryner lifted Pidge's chin. "I wouldn't say that. There might be a way for you to return. Have you performed spells before?"

"Well, sure I have. But, I'm not a natural born-magic user. I can't perform advanced spells without my spell book which was...gone before I came to that empty land."

Ryner giggled. "Most of us aren't natural born-magic users. I'm certainly not." She opened her palm and an orb of energy came out. It split itself into rays which reached the branches of the trees. The branches slowly came down to offer giant, closed flowers. Ryner grabbed one of these flowers, which merged with her arm and blasted an energy shot into the air. 

"Wow." 

"Wow indeed." The flower removed itself from Ryner and planted itself into the branch they were on. "If you'd like, we can teach you our magic to help you get where you need to be."

Pidge's mouth was open. "Really? You'd teach me?"

"Of course. You strike me as someone who loves to learn and create. That's the kind of mindset we encourage in our people."

Pidge bowed. "Thank you."

 

Pidge was taken under the guidance of Ryner to continue her training with magic. They started off with potion making. Pidge learned about plant life she had never heard of before and the various combinations, techniques, temperatures, and measurements used that could create endless possibilities of what to do with them. Pidge helped the other Olkari build all sorts of inventions. Inspired by Pidge's thermos, the Olkari developed a machine that could encapsulate sunlight on even the cloudiest of days. Pidge also helped them develop shoes that could allow anyone to walk on trees with ease. It led to the beginning of new sports and games for them to play. Even on days when new inventions weren't quite ready, Pidge felt a certain peace with them. Failures often resulted in analyzing the problem and more often than not led to the creation of something either better or completely different. 

Before Pidge could learn the teleportation spell, she was being taught nature magic. She dreaded using it, and was even confused by having to learn that before teleportation, but went ahead with it as she didn't want to disappoint Ryner. Pidge was given the task to raise a fruit from the ground. When Pidge recited the spell, what emerged was a weed that spit out acid. Ryner manipulated the weed to transform into a cactus.

Pidge sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryner." She held her hands together. "I...I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if nature will listen to me."

"It's not entirely about nature listening to you," Ryner, without words, made the cactus glow. "When working with nature, it's all about listening on both ends. You have to know what it wants and what you can give back." Ryner put her hand on the trunk of the tree. "It's all about collaboration. What you seek must be what can benefit the soil, the roots, and everything else. We learned that in order for our people to continue thriving with our technology, we would have to honor and respect the forest's wishes first. I want you to try again. However, when you recite the spell, recite it as if you were starting a conversation."

Pidge bit her lip. She knelt down, her fingers touching the soil. When she recited the spell, she pictured the ground and its root systems. She pictured the ground taking in the water, the light, and everything needed to be green and brown. As Pidge lifted her fingers from the dirt, a big piece of fruit came out. Pidge picked the fruit up, showing it to Ryner. Ryner gave an approving nod. Pidge went from disbelief to pride. She squealed.

"I did it! For once, I used nature magic that didn't result in me having to fight back!"

"Tell me, when you were saying the spell, what did you think?"

Pidge recalled the images that popped into her head. "Well, it was kinda weird. I was thinking about what the ground looked like, roots and all. And, it was almost as if I could see it absorbing water and light."

"Good. Now, you've said you've used the teleportation spell before?"

"Yes, a little," Pidge answered. "I've only ever teleported small objects to short distances."

"Then tell me, what do you think is the key to having a teleportation spell work?"

Pidge pondered on that. She wasn't very successful the first dozen times she tested it out. It wasn't until Shiro helped her clear her mind. But she knew clearing her mind wouldn't be the only thing. "Well, I believe knowing where you want the subject to go is vital."

"Exactly. Now, is it safe to say that another way of putting it is picturing the location?"

Pidge hadn't thought of it that way. "Oohhhhh."

Ryner smiled. "When you perform nature magic, you can see nature's desire. When you perform teleportation, you can see what your heart desires."

Pidge understood. From that day forward, she worked harder to practice nature spells. She studied the way the Olkari combined nature and technology and used that as a basis for her magic. After a while, Pidge grew comfortable with performing nature spells. Before she knew it, it was time for her learn teleportation.

 

Pidge attempted to demonstrate her teleportation spell on a vase. It wasn't easy as she couldn't recall the words of the spell.

"I didn't get to practice it for very long before I was cast away," Pidge confessed.

"That is alright," Ryner said. She placed her hand on Pidge's. "For your teleportation spell, I'd like you to borrow the magic within the forest and focus on where you want the object to go."

"Would it really be alright?"

"Of course. Remember, it's all about collaboration here."

Pidge closed her eyes. Her thoughts called out to the forest, asking it to lend her its power. Her hand was glowing green. The vase was levitated before disappearing and reappearing at the top of a nearby hut. When Pidge opened her eyes, she was happy to see that it had worked. Ryner stepped away from Pidge.

"Alright," Ryner said. "Now I want you to try it on yourself."

"Myself? But Ryner, shouldn't I practice with inanimate objects more?"

"There is no point in that. If you want to work with nature's magic, you must be willing to voice your desires to it." She looked at Pidge in anticipation. "I know you can do it. You can start off with short distances for now."

Pidge looked around the area. Up ahead was one of the pods that she'd often see the Olkari travel on. She concentrated on seeing herself inside that pod. As she closed her eyes, she could feel the magic flowing through her body. When she opened her eyes, she found herself inside the pod. Some nearby people applauded Pidge for her success in teleporting herself. 

Everyday, Pidge would make it her goal to teleport herself a further distance than the day before. She got better at it as she went from one side of the forest to the next. The day came when she wanted to test long distances. If she could successfully go back and forth, then she would be ready to go to Garrison. The place she chose as her big test was the junkyard she had come from. Pidge was able to teleport there without issue. However, before she returned to the Olkari, she noticed a broken pyramid puzzle among the piles of garbage. She picked it up, rubbing her thumb on the pyramid's front. It wasn't Rover, but it reminded her of him.

"Rover," she said. "I'm sorry. If only you could see how far I've come with my magic. You'd be impressed." She looked up at the sky. "After I find Shiro, I'll go looking for you. I promise." She put the pyramid back in the pile and teleported back to the forest.

* * *

The day came for Pidge to leave. She gathered her things. She folded the cloak she once wore and put it inside her bag. As Pidge said goodbye to the people that took her in, Ryner came up to her with a gift.

"What's this?" Pidge asked.

"It's a special lip balm made from the leaves from the tree you resided in," Ryner said, holding out the circular case with the soft substance. "This balm is not ready yet, but it will glow when it is."

"Will it taste bad if I put it on before?"

Ryner chuckled. "No, nothing like that. When the balm is ready, it will give its wearer the magic needed for what the wearer wants. The effects of the magic will remain, but you should use it as soon as possible for the access to that magic won't last."

Pidge took the balm. "Cool." She placed it in the pocket of her dress. Pidge looked up at Ryner and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you, Ryner. For everything."

Ryner returned the embrace. "We are very fortunate to have had a visitor like you. You are always welcome back here."

When Ryner let go, Pidge said her goodbyes to the rest of the Olkari. Thanks and heartfelt farewells were passed around. Pidge did not want to teleport from the village, however. Instead, she went deeper into the forest and found a dead tree to sit on. She sat cross-legged on top of its rings. She thought about where exactly she should go. Pidge realized that she had never really been in Garrison before, so it would be hard to visualize her there. She thought maybe the forest she grew up in, although her heart couldn't bear to enter that place yet. The only place she wanted to be was wherever Shiro was. 

 _That couldn't be possible_ , she thought. _I don't even know where he is. And yet, he's the one I want to be with._ Pidge closed her eyes. She sorted through the scary thoughts of Haggar winning and Shiro going insane. She moved past them to get to her happy thoughts. The ones where Shiro was there, holding his hand out to her. Where Shiro was. _Shiro._ She wanted to teleport to Shiro.

The rings on the tree emanated green light. Pidge felt herself being levitated before getting swept away with the magic. It felt as if she had traveled through space, touching the stars and feeling the comets pass her by. Her body felt light. She was no longer in her criss-crossed position. The skirt of her dress fluttered around and around. The wind beat against her rapidly and soothingly. 

 

And then she fell through the air. She let out a small scream as she fell down. Pidge landed roughly on a patch of grass. 

"Ow," she said, rubbing her legs. There was a stream nearby, a hedge of flowers at the end of the stream, and a hill up top. She didn't recognize this place, but it did feel peaceful. 

"Who's there?" a voice asked. 

Pidge got up and saw the source of the voice. On top of the hill was the figure of the man she had yearned for. A smile was spread across her face. 

"Shiro." 

She ran up the hill and into his arms.


	22. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Shiro are reunited at last. Pidge will see just how much she's been missed.

The mice were atop a tree when they saw the scene that unfolded before their eyes. They squeaked to one another before scurrying out of the garden.

Shiro heard a voice he had not heard in a while. One that he could only hear in dreams. He felt a weight bump into him, arms around his waist. He put his hands on the person that bumped into him.

"Pidge?" he asked. "Is it really you?" He put his hands on her head, his fingers scrunching up her hair. He realized her hair was short as his fingers were able to reach the ends of her hair.

Pidge pulled away. "Of course it's me. I know I got a haircut, but can't you see that it's still me?" She looked up at him and noticed his eyes were foggy as they stared blankly into space. Pidge gasped as she let go of him. Her hand covered her mouth. "Oh, Shiro," she felt herself choking up. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

Shiro reached his hands out and felt her figure. He pulled her back in.

"No, Pidge, please don't cry," he said. He rubbed her head. "It's okay."

"How can you say that?" Pidge dug her face into his chest. "I made you blind."

"Pidge, don't go blaming yourself," he put a hand on her cheek, locating her eye. He wiped away her tears. "Listen to me, Pidge. I would rather be blind and know you were here than see a world that didn't have you in it."

Pidge sniffed. "Shiro," she hugged him tighter and he did as well. He knelt down so that his face could be closer to hers. Their foreheads touched, and Pidge put her hand on his cheek. "I was so scared I wouldn't see you again. I don't mean 'see' in that sense. I meant meet."

Shiro chuckled before kissing her nose. "I know."

They clung to each other, taking in one another's presence. They asked each other questions about what had happened.

"Were you able to locate Madame Haggar?"

"Yes. She was defeated. I don't know how we would have attacked her if we didn't know where she was. I'm guessing you were the one to take down her cloaking spell?"

"Yeah. I used my orb of truth to remove the spell that covered the forest. But, I wouldn't have been able to if Rover didn't help me." She rubbed herself against his chest. "Rover was brave. He sacrificed himself to help me."

Shiro started tearing up. He held Pidge closer.

"Rover was a good friend," he said. "You were lucky to have him as a companion."

"Him and Hunk." Pidge tightened her grip on Shiro's shirt. "Hunk must hate me for letting him get turned into stone."

"No, he doesn't. Allura broke the spell on him and he's been searching for you since."

"He has?"

Shiro nodded. He ran his fingers through her hair. "It's so different touching your hair now."

Pidge chuckled. "Maybe it's a good thing you're blind. You can't see how awful my hair is."

Shiro put a hand on her face. "Pidge, I don't care about your hair. You're always beautiful to me."

Pidge smiled. 

Shiro asked another question. "Where were you? Do you know?"

"I was transported to the other side of the world. I landed at a junkyard first before being discovered by some nice people. They taught me their magic and that's how I was able to come to you." Pidge looked around the area. "Hey, quick question, where are we?"

"We're in my garden."

"Your garden?"

"My garden is at the center of my castle. It's where I go to meditate. But, now that you're here, you can come here with me." Shiro's mouth widened with joy. "As a matter of fact, you can go anywhere in this castle. Anywhere in my kingdom. It's all yours to explore!"

"Silly prince. I don't know where to start. Or where to go."

Shiro wrapped his arms around Pidge's waist and lifted her up rapidly. Pidge yelped as she was being picked up. 

"Shiro, be careful!"

Shiro laughed. "I always will, my love. From now on, I'll be your legs. I'll carry you anywhere and everywhere. And in return, you can be my eyes. You can tell me what you see, how the world looks like. And we'll never be apart."

Pidge put her hands on Shiro's neck. She giggled. "Never."

"Never."

Pidge felt something glowing in her pocket. She took out the lip balm that Ryner had given her. When she opened it up, the substance illuminated. 

"What do you have?" Shiro asked.

"Oh, it's a gift that was given to me by the people who took care of me," Pidge answered. "It's lip balm, but it's a special kind."

"How so?"

"Well, it's glowing, which means I can use it to help me get what I want," she looked at Shiro. "But I already have that." She stared down at it. "Although, I guess it would be a waste to leave it be." She picked up a smudge of the balm and rubbed it on her lips. She pursed her lips together, allowing the substance to sink into her lips. She closed the balm and put it back in her pocket. "I think I know what I want."

"What's that?"

Pidge put her hands on his head. "For you to love me. Forever."

"Consider it done."

Shiro closed his eyes as Pidge leaned down to kiss him. She planted a kiss on one eye and then the next. When she did, traces of her lip balm were left on Shiro's eyelids. Small waves of light jumped around Shiro's eyes. They swirled around his eyes, tinkling sounds being heard. 

Shiro opened his eyes. When he did, the darkness started to fade away. Pidge could see the fogginess in his eyes being lifted. Shiro could see his surroundings in view. It started off as meshed up blobs before going on to blurry and from there his vision became clearer. Finally, he could see her. Pidge up above, being held by his arms. It was her. Her now short, but still light brown hair and her brown eyes. Her green dress. Her face looking down on his.

"Pidge! I can see again!" he said. "I can see!" They both laughed. He threw her up and down, always catching her. He twirled her around, and neither one could contain their joy. They pulled each other in for a kiss on the lips. "You're exactly what I remember you looked like," he told her softly. "Beautiful."

The door to the garden flung open. Hunk was at the doorway, looking in disbelief and joy.

"Pidge?!"

Shiro put Pidge down.

"Hunk?!"

The two ran towards one another with their arms out. 

"Pidge!" Hunk wailed.

"Hunk!" Pidge wailed back. Hunk gave her a huge bear hug, practically smushing her in his belly. Both were shedding tears, getting each other wet. "I'm so sorry, Hunk! I missed you so much!"

"I'm sorry, too! I missed my little Pidge! Please don't ever go off on your own again!"

The two were practically squeezing each other at this point, wailing loudly. Lance, Keith and Allura entered the garden soon after. When Lance and Allura got a better look at Pidge and her haircut, they were reminded of Matt. They looked at one another with realization. _She really is his sister_ , they both thought. A nearby servant passed by and Allura called them over.

"Summon the Holt family to the palace immediately," she ordered. The servant went ahead right away.

Shiro came down from the hill with a huge smile spread across his face. 

"You guys are looking good," Shiro commented. 

"Your highness," Keith said in disbelief.

"You can see again!" Lance shouted.

Lance and Keith tackled Shiro in for a hug. They were overjoyed. Allura hugged Shiro as well.

"It's a miracle!" Keith said. Out of excitement, Keith grabbed Lance and tugged him in for a kiss. When he realized what he had done, he blushed. "Uh, I-"

Lance gave Keith a peck on the cheek. "You're so cute when you take initiative." They both kissed each other on the lips.

Suddenly, everyone was pulled into one big hug by Hunk, who lifted all of them up and squeezed them. 

"I love you guys so much," Hunk cried out. "I never want this moment to end."

"Yeah, me neither," Shiro said, half-truthfully and almost out of breath.

* * *

The Holts were inside an elegant and comfortable looking room. It was spacious, with soft couches and sofas around a simple wooden table. Sam and Colleen were seated on a couch, Sam with his arm around Colleen. Gunther had his head atop the table. Matt paced back and forth.

"Take a seat, son," Sam suggested. "She'll be here."

"What if she decides not to come?" Matt asked. "What if she hates us? Or never wants to see us?"

Colleen shook up. Sam sighed. 

"Son, if you're going to talk like that, could you step out of the room and compose yourself? You're scaring your mother."

"Sorry," Matt said. "I think maybe I should get a glass of water. Do you guys want anything?"

"We're fine," Colleen answered. "We'll still be here when you get back."

 

Shiro, Pidge, and Hunk walked down the hall. Pidge was skipping merrily along, while Shiro and Hunk looked at her.

"Pidge, there are so many people we must introduce you to," Shiro said. "I know you saw Allura briefly earlier before she had to take off. But you'll get to properly meet her and Coran soon."

"Oh, and you just have to meet Shay," Hunk added. "Shay's been dying to meet you."

"That sounds like fun," Pidge said. "But if you really want me to meet those people, then why aren't we with them right now?"

Hunk gave Shiro a concerned look. Shiro answered, "Well, there are other people that have been waiting to meet you for years now."

Pidge stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Years? I haven't been gone that long, have I?"

Hunk shook his head. "Of course not. But..."

Just then, around the corner of the hall, a young man wearing glasses with the same hair cut as Pidge and lighter brown hair than hers came walking, holding a glass of water in one hand. Pidge stumbled upon him, braking her feet to a halt. The boy nearly dropped his glass.

"Oh, sorry," the boy said.

The two of them stood in front of one another, staring at each other. The boy dropped his glass. It was like looking in a mirror. Both of them eyed one another with curiosity. Pidge held her hands behind her back, while the boy tried to stretch his hand to her.

"Is it really you?" the boy asked. 

Pidge backed away and hid behind Shiro.

"Who are you?" she asked. 

The boy gave an awkward smile. "Katie, it's me. Your brother."

Pidge clung to Shiro. "Who's Katie?"

The boy smacked himself on the head. "Of course. You don't remember. Katie's your....um....maybe you should come with me."

Pidge looked up at Shiro and Hunk. 

"It's okay, Pidge," Shiro told her as he patted her head. "He's not going to hurt you. Hunk and I will come with you." 

Pidge reluctantly decided to follow the strange young man that claimed to be her brother. Of course, she supposed it wasn't far-fetched. He did resemble her after all. Even if the resemblance was really eerie.

 

All of them entered the room. Matt came out first, followed by Hunk, then Shiro, and Pidge who remained hidden behind the prince.

Sam and Colleen bowed. 

"Your highness," Sam said. "What a surprise."

"Please, relax," Shiro instructed. "I know you're not here to see me." Shiro lifted his arm. 

Hunk put a hand on Pidge's shoulder. "Go on, Pidge. These are the people that have been waiting to meet you."

Pidge let go of Shiro and stepped forward. Sam and Colleeen gasped. They could have been separated for a hundred years and they'd still recognize the girl in front of them as their long lost daughter. 

"Katie," Colleen cried.

"I'm sorry," Pidge said meekly, "but I don't recognize that name. Or you."

Sam pushed his glasses up. "That's okay, kiddo. Allow me to introduce ourselves. Me and the Mrs. are your parents." He put a hand on Matt's shoulder. "And this here boy is your brother, Matt. To which I'm rather shocked by how nearly identical the two of you look."

Pidge rubbed her arm. The Holts looked at her with concern.

"Is something wrong, kiddo?" Sam asked.

Pidge looked up at them. "Madame Haggar told me that my family willingly gave me up so that they could repay her for the stolen pidgeunzel."

Sam and Colleen looked at one another, sadness in their eyes. Matt stepped forward. 

"That's only partly true," Matt tried to clear up. "Before you were even born, I stole a pidgeunzel from Haggar. But I did it to save you and our mom. You guys were really sick." He bit his lip. "But, Haggar took you from us." Matt's lip quivered. "Katie, Pidge, if I could go back and stop her from taking you from us, I would. I'm so sorry I ever allowed her to take you from us." He took a deep breath. "I know you won't believe me right away. And it's okay if you hate me. But," he moved and gestured at their parents, "they don't deserve your scorn. Mom and Dad are good people. All of us have been searching for you. And we never gave up. So, even if you can't bear to be around me, please give them a chance."

Matt's glasses were getting wet. Pidge let down her guard and walked up to him. She removed his glasses. Pidge could see the guilt and sorrow in his face. He wasn't lying. He really was her brother.

She tucked his glasses to his shirt and gave him a hug. Matt hugged her back. Pidge looked at her parents. They smiled and breathed out in relief. Sam and Colleen embraced their children. At long last, they were a family again. Gunther joined them, too, jumping on top of Pidge and licking her face. 

"Looks like Gunther likes you, kiddo," Sam said. 

Pidge laughed. She petted the dog in her arms, calming him down immediately. "So, my real name's Katie, huh?"

Colleen chuckled. "Yes, that is the name we gave you. Do you not like it?"

Pidge smiled. "Actually, I think Katie's a lot better than Pidgeunzel."

The family laughed. Hunk and Shiro looked on in satisfaction. Matt broke from the family and went up to Hunk.

"I was told you took care of my sister while she was in that tower," Matt said.

Hunk scratched his face. "Well, yeah. I mean, I had to make sure she was safe from Haggar and-"

Matt held his hand out. "Thank you. I greatly appreciate you being there for her."

Hunk grabbed his hand, but pulled him in for a side hug. "Hey, Pidge, Katie, whatever her name is, has always been like a little sister to me."

"That may be true," Matt pulled away, "but now that I'm in the picture, I'm going to take your spot as her favorite big brother."

Hunk laughed, slapping Matt's back. "Oh, that's funny. You think you can take my position that way easily."

"I don't think I have much of a competition."

"Oh yeah, little man?"

"Who're you calling little? If I'm right, I'm older than you."

Pidge put Gunther down and got in between them, separating them with her arms. "Cut it out, you two. No one's replacing anybody. Just let me enjoy having two big brothers without any trouble. Got it?"

Matt and Hunk nodded at one another in agreement. Matt looked at Shiro and bowed his head. 

"Thank you, your majesty," Matt said. "You have helped our family become whole again. I, nor my parents, can thank you enough. If there's anything you need of us, please don't hesitate to give the order."

Shiro put a hand on his chin. "All I ask is that you treat her right. Oh, and you and your family don't have to address me so formally."

Colleen looked at him in confusion. "Goodness, why not?"

Shiro coughed, looking at Pidge. Pidge blushed. She extended her arm to him.

"Mom, Dad, I know we just met, but please don't ground me right away for having a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend?" Sam asked, before turning to Shiro. He gasped. "My, my, my little Katie has found herself a perfect boyfriend."

Shiro laughed. "Mr. Holt, please. You don't have to be so generous towards me. You are her parents, and I think you should be able to voice any concerns you might have about your daughter dating me. I also believe your family holds the right to refer to me as Shiro."

Sam and Colleen looked at each other, Sam shrugging his shoulders. They faced Shiro again.

"If you insist, Shiro, my boy," Sam said. "It might take some getting used to, but as long as you don't lock our daughter away, then we have no qualms with you dating her."

Shiro bowed his head to them. "Thank you, sir."

"Hey, now you don't get to be so formal with us either," Colleen said. "Sam and Colleen are fine with us."

 

The family spent the rest of that day getting to know their daughter. Pidge/Katie asked them all sorts of questions which they answered. She told them about her life with Haggar. Hunk chimed in to let the family know what Pidge/Katie's likes and dislikes were as well as reveal any embarrassing stories he had of her. They bonded over mutual interests, particularly interest in creating inventions. Shiro could not stay in the room with them for too long, and regrettably had to take his leave. He permitted the family to stay in the room for as long as it took for them to catch up. He ordered his servants and guards to check up on them every now and then in case they needed anything. It was expected that the family would have a lot of catching up to do, meaning they would undoubtedly be there a while.


	23. All Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge/Katie goes out looking for a lost friend before everything wraps up.

Pidge/Katie was able to catch up with her family. As they learned her quirks, she came to learn theirs. Prince Shiro had decided to allow them to live in his castle and they were given their own exclusive lab for their own personal inventions and experiments. When it came to her name, she thought it would be best to introduce herself as Katie to new people and for her family and Shiro to call her by that name. However, she did allow for Hunk, Lance, and Keith to refer to her as Pidge since she didn't want to make it complicated for them. Katie met other new people along the way. Hunk was happy to introduce her to Shay, and the two got along great. Katie got her own revenge against Hunk as she told Shay all the embarrassing stuff about him. Katie then properly met Allura and Coran, who showed her their highest gratitude for removing the Haggar's cloaking spell, enabling them to defeat Haggar once and for all. Katie told Shiro all about the Olkari, whom Shiro was taken to meet. Shiro and Ryner held a meeting and the Olkari decided to step out of hiding. They established a new kingdom in the empty land that Katie was in. The newly formed Olkarion made an alliance with Garrison and both kingdoms worked together to develop new technologies and magic. Ryner also helped Shiro with his prosthetic arm, giving his arm the ability to shapeshift again.

On a day that Sam, Colleen, and Matt were all busy, Katie teleported herself to the forest she grew up in. She left a small note saying she would be back, although she didn't know herself when she would return. Katie walked through the forest. She came across her crumbled tower. She dug through the rubble and was ashamed to see that none of her belongings survived. Among them was the flower crown Shiro made for her. She picked up the bare crown, whose petals had either fallen off completely or lacked any life in them. To her surprise, she heard a scream from someone falling out of the sky. When she turned around, she saw that it was Shiro, who put his hand on his head as he tried to recover from the fall.

"Shiro?" Pidge asked, walking over to him and offering her hand to help him up. "What are you doing here?"

Shiro chuckled as he took her hand. "I could ask you the same. I didn't mean to intrude, but I was kind of worried about you. I had Allura teleport me to your location."

"How'd you even know I'd be here?"

"Lucky guess." Shiro's expression turned sad when he saw the rubble behind Katie. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here if you wanted to be alone."

Katie shook her head. "It's okay. This gives me a chance to say sorry for not being able to take care of the flower crown you gave me." She showed him the dying crown. Shiro took it from her hands, turning it around to get a better look at its decaying state. 

"That's fine. These aren't meant to last long, anyway. I'll make you a new one," he reassured her. He saw that Katie had something on her mind. "But I'm guessing you didn't come back for this."

Katie lowered her gaze. "No. This was more of a detour before I started my real search." She looked out beyond the forest. "I don't even know if his remains are still where they had been left."

Shiro held her hand. "You don't have to search alone."

Katie smiled. The two of them went past the many parts of the forest. It didn't take long for Katie to reach the area that she had fought Haggar at. The ditch she hid at was still there. And not far from that were the broken remains of Rover. His eye wasn't there, though that might have been for the best as neither would enjoy seeing a decayed eyeball. Pidge knelt down on the ground and picked up Rover's remains. He may have been made of mostly bolts and plastic, but Katie saw past that and remembered his playful soul. She cradled his parts close to her. 

"Rover," she said softly. "I went to Allura. I asked her if there was a spell to bring you back to life. But, she told me that the dead can't be raised. Even if you weren't human, you still had a soul and she told me that finding souls was impossible." She clutched his parts closer to her. "I'm sorry, Rover."

Shiro placed a hand on her shoulder. "We can bury him wherever you'd like."

Katie nodded. "Okay." She rose up. "Let's go home."

 

Rover's remains were buried in the garden. Katie felt that he would have like it there. It was peaceful and the space would have been perfect for him to move around in. Although Katie expected to be alone after she buried Rover, she was surprised to see her friends, brother, and boyfriend enter the garden with a bouquet of flowers and a picnic basket. They placed the bouquet over his grave and had a picnic with Katie to try and make her feel better and less alone. 

* * *

Katie and Shiro kept themselves rather busy. The Holts worked together to build new inventions, ones that would help with everyday life as well as magic-protectant ones to help defend powerless humans against the dark forces. In order to test the magic-protectant inventions, Katie continued practicing her magic, although this time Coran and Allura taught her spells from Altea. She was able to get the hang of Altean magic and while she didn't perform magic constantly, she still proved herself to be a worthy adversary when needed. Matt took the test to become a royal scientist and passed, and he and his father were considered among the top scientists in the kingdom. Katie had considered joining them, but found that she had more pleasure in experimenting and building outside of the palace. She decided to work as an archaeologist who would search for forgotten kingdoms and recreate their structures and inventions.

Keith remained Shiro's (and to an extent, Katie/Pidge's) personal guard until he decided to work as a private investigator. His work as a private investigator allowed him the freedom to choose his own cases while also occassionally working with Lance on bigger mysteries. This, combined with Katie/Pidge's relic discoveries led the whole group to go on adventures that are too many to count. Hunk returned to his former job as a repairman, often helping the Holt family put their inventions together and fixing up anything that went haywire in the castle. Although Shay ended up returning to her home, Hunk opted on living half the year with her on her farm and the other half at the castle until the day came where Hunk and Shay would remain on the farm raising a family of their own. They weren't the only ones to start families.

Keith and Lance ended up tying the knot, although the manner of their wedding was a hot topic. Keith didn't want to make a big show of it while Lance wanted to make it one of the most grand weddings in all the land. They both settled on a small, yet luxurious wedding with their closest friends and family (or rather, Lance's entire family). They built their own home on the land that was given to Lance by Shiro where they raised their adopted children together and close to Lance's relatives. Keith nearly cried at having received the same thing he and Katie/Pidge had always wanted: a loving family. As for Katie and Shiro....

 

 

Quite a while had passed since Shiro and Katie met. Shiro would have to be king soon, although he didn't want to rule alone. He had contemplated asking Katie for her hand in marriage. One particular day, Shiro was pacing back and forth, nervous about the proposal. He kept going back and forth on the idea, fiddling with the box that had a ring inside, much to Lance and Keith's frustrations as they had to hear Shiro's indecisiveness for nearly a week already. 

"Prince Shiro, what possible downfall could there be in Pidge being your wife?" Keith asked, sitting at the edge of the prince's bed.

"Aside from giving her huge responsibilities like running a kingdom with me, potentially robbing her of her dream job, and having her spend less time with her family, nothing," Shiro answered. 

Lance grabbed a pillow and held it close to his chest. "Prince Shiro, what kind of soon-to-be king are you? You know Pidge won't mind running a kingdom. And you know she's not the type of girl to abandon her pursuits and family. Why are you so concerned about that?"

"I know," Shiro admitted. "She'd probably be one of the best queens this kingdom has ever had." He sighed. "To be honest, my real worry is whether or not I'll be a suitable husband for her."

Keith and Lance looked at each other with the most _Are you kidding me?_   faces ever. They got up and dragged Shiro out of his room.

"Wait, what are you two doing?" Shiro asked. "As your prince and future king, I order you to release me!"

"Not gonna happen, your highness," Keith said. 

They ended up dragging Shiro all the way to a parlor room where Katie was reading a book on a relic that she had found on her most recent expedition. She perked up to see Shiro being pushed into the parlor.

"Oh, Shiro," she said. "What a pleasant surprise." She closed the book. "What's up?"

Shiro turned his head around, only to find Lance and Keith hiding in the doorway, their hands waving at him to get on with it. 

"Um, Katie...there's something I need to ask you," Shiro said. "Something pretty big."

Hunk was carrying a tray of peanut butter sandwiches and peanut butter cookies as he was pulled to the side by Keith. Hunk asked what was going on as he nearly dropped the tray, but was quickly shushed by the pair. He placed it on a nearby piece of furniture and peered in with Keith and Lance.

Katie stood in front of Shiro.

"Is something wrong, Shiro?" She looked up at him with concern in her eyes, tiptoeing every so often to try and be on his level. 

 _Why must she be so cute?_   Shiro thought. He straightened his voice. "Uh, well, Katie," he dug into his pocket, "as you know we've been dating for a really long time now."

"Uh-huh."

"And, you know that I love you with all of my being."

"As do I." She swayed a little, a grin forming on her face. 

She would be the end of him, but he had to move forward as he knew Keith and Lance would never let him leave this parlor if he kept tiptoeing around the issue. Shiro took a deep breath and continued, this time grabbing her hand.

"Katie, when I first met you, I never thought I'd be meeting the smartest and most beautiful person in my life. And as I got to know you, I saw more of your personality shine through. Your curiosity, your modesty, everything about you was making me fall in love with you more and more." He got on one knee and pulled out the tiny box. "Pidge or Katie, long or short hair, you are my everything." He opened up the box, revealing an emerald ring. "And if you would do the me the honor of becoming my queen, I would be the happiest person alive."

Katie was agape. She opened her mouth widely, squealing, and tumbled on top of Shiro, causing both of them to be on the floor. 

"Of course I'll marry you!" she shouted ecstatically. 

The two were on the floor, Shiro rubbing Katie's back. Katie looked at him and gave him a big kiss. Keith and Lance gave each other a thumb's up as they got out of their hiding spots. Hunk, meanwhile, shed happy tears. He pulled Keith and Lance into his arms.

"My little Pidge, getting married," Hunk sniffed. "We're gonna be brothers!"

"Hunk, we're not the Prince's brothers," Keith said.

"Oh, don't give me that. Shiro's practically your guys' brother, and Pidge is practically my sister. Which means we're gonna be brothers from now on."

Keith glanced at Lance who shrugged his shoulders while smiling. 

 

And so, Katie and Shiro had a grand wedding. People across Garrison and even visitors from Olkarion dropped by to see the wedding and coronation of King Shiro and Queen Katie. Coran was the coordinator as he welcomed all the guests and Allura served as the one to unite the two and dub them the King and Queen of the land. Everyone rejoiced at their union. This was more than anyone could have imagined. Shiro felt incredibly lucky to have a woman like Katie as his bride and Katie felt very fortunate to have met a man like Shiro. The Holts felt blessed for not only did they receive a daughter for all their years of waiting, but also a son-in-law who would make himself and their daughter rulers of the land. After the ceremony, many happy pairs danced on the dance floor, keeping the love of their lives close. King Shiro and Queen Katie would rule Garrison for many years, passing on the story of their love and adventures to all who would listen.

* * *

Matt was finishing up telling the story to his niece and nephew, who were getting antsy. The twins were waiting for him to get to the good part. 

"Well, Uncle Matt, tell us what happened after that!" they demanded.

Matt chuckled. "Alright, alright. Some time after they got married, your mom became pregnant with you two."

"And then?"

"And then you were born."

"And we were lucky not to have to steal a vegetable from a witch," Queen Katie added as she and King Shiro entered the room.

"Mama! Papa!" The twins got up and hugged their mother and father. Katie and Shiro patted their heads. 

The couple were older now. Katie grew her hair out a little, although it was only up to her shoulders. Shiro still had his white fringe, but he noticed there were little bits of white hair popping up in places that weren't there before. Katie and Shiro picked up their son and daughter. 

"Thanks for keeping them entertained, Matt," Katie said. 

"Now hold on," Shiro said. "I don't think he's finished with the story yet."

Matt stood up from his chair. "He's right. And so, the prince and princess were born and everyone lived happily ever after."

Shiro put an arm around Katie pulling her close. "More than happily."

Katie got on her tiptoes, Shiro leaned down, and the two kissed with their children in their arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's kind of a shame to be ending this story so soon. I didn't expect it to get so much attention and positive feedback. I even received my first fanfic fanart from this! I loved writing this story and always looked forward to writing the next chapter. I'd like to thank all of you who have taken the time to read my fanfic. I hope you'll be looking forward to more of my writings in the future.


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